In an interview to The Hindu on her soon-to-be-launched book, Belonging: A Journey of Love, Sonia Gandhi observed that under the Bharatiya Janata Party-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh dispensation over the last twelve years, “great damage has been done to the fabric of our country, our democracy and our institutions. Even after this government goes, it will take time to restore our systems back to health, and great effort from political parties. People are now beginning to be restless and recognising the damage. But I am optimistic and I know that the people of India will welcome a return to proper governance.”
Asked about the decline of the Congress as India’s dominant party, the view of some critics that the party has not been able to reverse the declining trend, and its present condition and prospects, the former Congress President responded: “I am not so pessimistic. Consider that the Congress party and other opposition parties have not had a level playing field since this government came to power. Take into account the complete stranglehold they have on all institutions, especially the Election Commission, their control of mainstream media, their money power and their exploitation of religion. Yet, our party is fighting and making progress… What is more, it has been amply proved in recent months that many elections have been stolen, and people are now more aware of it. The Congress is working with like-minded parties, and our prospects are improving day by day. Asked about this, Sonia Gandhi responded, “Of course, I felt hurt…It came as a shock that they still saw me as an outsider. But looking back, she could see “they may have had their own reasons. I had to continue. Asked whether she had ever wondered how United Progressive Alliance policies and Congress strategy might have differed had she accepted, she replied emphatically: “No, not at all. That has never crossed my mind. Our experience was by and large a very positive one. We worked as a team, and our roles were distinct with him [Manmohan Singh] leading the government and I leading the party.”
In May 1999, when some party leaders, including Sharad Pawar, raised the issue of her foreign origin and asserted that she could not hold high office in India, she submitted her resignation as Congress President and then withdrew it. After the Congress-led victory in the 2004 Lok Sabha election, Sonia Gandhi, the obvious choice of the party and the coalition to become Prime Minister, declined the offer.
She added that “after some soul-searching,” she realised that “I could not let my personal feelings divert me from my larger purpose. But under intense pressure in “the surreal drama” that followed, she said “ Theek hai ,” only to change her mind.
