Sonia Gandhi

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Sonia Gandhi
Sonia Gandhi (cropped).jpg
Chairperson of the National Advisory Council
In office
29 March 2010 25 May 2014
Preceded by Position reestablished
In office
4 June 2004 23 March 2006
Preceded by Position established
Succeeded by Position abolished
Chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance
Incumbent
Assumed office
16 May 2004
Preceded by Position established
President of the Indian National Congress
Incumbent
Assumed office
14 March 1998
Preceded by Sitaram Kesri
Leader of the Opposition
In office
19 March 1998 22 May 2004
Preceded by Sharad Pawar
Succeeded by L. K. Advani
Member of Parliament
for Rae Bareli
Incumbent
Assumed office
17 May 2004
Preceded by Satish Sharma
Member of Parliament
for Amethi
In office
10 October 1999 17 May 2004
Preceded by Sanjay Singh
Succeeded by Rahul Gandhi
Personal details
Born Edvige Antonia Albina Mino
9 December 1946 (age 67)
Lusiana, Veneto, Italy
Political party Indian National Congress
Other political
affiliations United Front (19962004)
United Progressive Alliance (2004present)
Spouse(s) Rajiv Gandhi (19691991)
Children Rahul
Priyanka
Residence 10 Janpath, New Delhi
Religion Roman Catholicism
Signature
Website Sonia Gandhi
Sonia Gandhi (About this sound pronunciation (helpinfo); born Edvige Antonia Albi
na Mino,[1][2][3] 9 December 1946) is an Italian-born Indian politician, who has
served as President of the Indian National Congress party since 1998.[2] She is
the widow of former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi who belonged to the Ne
hruGandhi family. After her husband's assassination in 1991, she was invited by C
ongress leaders to take over the government but she refused and publicly stayed
away from politics amidst constant prodding from the party.[4] She finally agree
d to join politics in 1997; in 1998, she was elected President of the Congress p
arty.[2]
She has served as the Chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance in t
he Lok Sabha since 2004. In September 2010, on being re-elected for the fourth t
ime, she became the longest serving president in the 125-year history of the Con
gress party.[5] Her foreign birth has been a subject of much debate and controve
rsy.[6][7] Also controversial was her alleged friendship with Italian businessma
n Ottavio Quattrocchi, accused of being a middleman in the Bofors scandal.[8] Al
though Sonia is the fifth foreign-born person to be leader of the Congress Party
, she is the first since independence in 1947.[9]
Contents
1 Early life
2 Political career
2.1 Wife of the Prime Minister
2.2 Congress President
2.3 Leader of the Opposition
2.4 2004 elections and aftermath
2.5 UPA Chairperson
3 Personal life
4 Honours and recognition
5 Books featuring Sonia Gandhi
6 See also
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External links
Early life
Sonia Gandhi's birthplace, 31, Contrada Maini (Maini street), Lusiana, Italy (th
e house on the right)
She was born to Stefano and Paola Maino in Contrada Mini ("Maini quarter/district
"), at Lusiana,[10][11] a little village 30 km from Vicenza in Veneto,[12] Italy
, where families with the family name "Mino" have been living for many generation
s.[13][14][15] She spent her adolescence in Orbassano,[16] a town near Turin, be
ing raised in a traditional Roman Catholic family and attending a Catholic schoo
l. Her father, Stefano Maino, was a building mason, who owned a small constructi
on business in Orbassano.[17] Stefano fought against the Soviet military alongsi
de Hitler's Wehrmacht on the eastern front in World War II, he called himself a
loyal supporter of Benito Mussolini and Italy's National Fascist Party.[17] He d
ied in 1983.[18] Her mother and two sisters still live around Orbassano.[19]
In 1964, she went to study English at the Bell Educational Trust's language scho
ol in the city of Cambridge.[20] In 1965 at a Greek restaurant (the Varsity Rest
aurant in Cambridge) she met Rajiv Gandhi, who was enrolled in Trinity College a
t the University of Cambridge.[21] Sonia and Rajiv Gandhi married in 1968, in a
Hindu ceremony[22] following which she moved into the house of her mother-in-law
and then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi.[23]
The couple had two children, Rahul Gandhi (born 1970) and Priyanka Vadra (born 1
972). Despite belonging to the influential Nehru family, Sonia and Rajiv avoided
all involvement in politics. Rajiv worked as an airline pilot while Sonia took
care of her family.[24] When Indira Gandhi was ousted from office in 1977 in the
aftermath of the Indian Emergency, the Rajiv family contemplated to move abroad
for a short time.[25] When Rajiv entered politics in 1982 after the death of hi
s younger brother Sanjay Gandhi in a plane crash on 23 June 1980, Sonia continue
d to focus on her family and avoided all contact with the public.[26]
Political career
Wife of the Prime Minister
Sonia Gandhi's involvement with Indian public life began after the assassination
of her mother-in-law and her husband's election as Prime Minister. As the Prime
Minister's wife she acted as his official hostess and also accompanied him on a
number of state visits.[27] In 1984, she actively campaigned against her husban
d's sister-in-law Maneka Gandhi who was running against Rajiv in Amethi. At the
end of Rajiv Gandhi's five years in office, the Bofors scandal broke out. Ottavi
o Quattrocchi, an Italian business man believed to be involved, was said to be a
friend of Sonia Gandhi, having access to the Prime Minister's official residenc
e.[28] The BJP has alleged that she appeared on the voters list in New Delhi pri
or to obtaining Indian citizenship in April 1983, in contravention of Indian law
.[29][30]
Former senior Congress leader and the currently the President of India Pranab Mu
kherjee said that she surrendered her Italian passport to the Italian Embassy on
27 April 1983. Italian nationality law did not permit dual nationality until 19
92. So, by acquiring Indian citizenship in 1983, she would automatically have lo
st Italian citizenship.[31]
Congress President
With the then President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev during his State visit in Dece
mber 2010.
After the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and her refusal to become Prime Minister
, the party settled on the choice of P. V. Narasimha Rao who became leader and s
ubsequently Prime Minister. Over the next few years, however, the Congress fortu
nes continued to dwindle and it lost the 1996 elections. Several senior leaders
such as Madhavrao Sindhia, Rajesh Pilot, Narayan Dutt Tiwari, Arjun Singh, Mamat
a Banerjee, G. K. Moopanar, P. Chidambaram and Jayanthi Natarajan were in open r
evolt against incumbent President Sitaram Kesri and quit the party, splitting th
e Congress into many factions.[32]
In an effort to revive the party's sagging fortunes, she joined the Congress Par
ty as a primary member in the Calcutta Plenary Session in 1997 and became party
leader in 1998.[2][33]
In May 1999, three senior leaders of the party (Sharad Pawar, P. A. Sangma, and
Tariq Anwar) challenged her right to try to become India's Prime Minister becaus
e of her foreign origins. In response, she offered to resign as party leader, re
sulting in an outpouring of support and the expulsion from the party of the thre
e rebels who went on to form the Nationalist Congress Party.[34]
Within 62 days of joining as a primary member, she was offered the party Preside
nt post which she accepted.[35] She contested Lok Sabha elections from Bellary,
Karnataka and Amethi, Uttar Pradesh in 1999. She won both seats but chose to rep
resent Amethi.[36] In Bellary, she had defeated veteran BJP leader, Sushma Swara
j.[37]
Leader of the Opposition
Sonia Gandhi welcomes US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to her reside
nce, 10 Janpath in New Delhi, India, 2009.
She was elected the Leader of the Opposition of the 13th Lok Sabha in 1999.[38]
When the BJP-led NDA formed a government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee, she took th
e office of the Leader of Opposition. As Leader of Opposition, she called a no-c
onfidence motion against the NDA government led by Vajpayee in 2003.[39]
2004 elections and aftermath
In the 2004 general elections, Gandhi launched a nationwide campaign, criss-cros
sing the country on the Aam Aadmi (ordinary man) slogan in contrast to the 'Indi
a Shining' slogan of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) alliance. Sh
e countered the BJP asking "Who is India Shining for?". In the election, she was
re-elected by a 200,000-vote margin over nearest rival, in the Rae Bareli.[40]
Following the unexpected defeat of the NDA, she was widely expected to be the ne
xt Prime Minister of India. On 16 May, she was unanimously chosen to lead a 15-p
arty coalition government with the support of the left, which was subsequently n
amed the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).
The defeated NDA protested once again her 'foreign origin' and senior NDA leader
Sushma Swaraj threatened to shave her head and "sleep on the ground", among oth
er things, should Sonia become prime minister.[6] The NDA also claimed that ther
e were legal reasons that barred her from the Prime Minister's post.[41] They po
inted, in particular, to Section 5 of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1955, which
they claimed implied 'reciprocity'. This was contested by others[30] and eventua
lly the suits were dismissed by the Supreme Court of India.[42]
A few days after the election, Gandhi appointed Manmohan Singh as prime minister
. Her supporters compared it to the old Indian tradition of renunciation,[43] wh
ile her opponents attacked it as a political stunt.[44]
UPA Chairperson
Sonia Gandhi speaking at World Economic Forum's India Economic Summit 2006
On 23 March 2006, Gandhi announced her resignation from the Lok Sabha and also a
s chairperson of the National Advisory Council under the office-of-profit contro
versy and the speculation that the government was planning to bring an ordinance
to exempt the post of chairperson of National Advisory Council from the purview
of office of profit.[45] She was re-elected from her constituency Rae Bareli in
May 2006 by a margin of over 400,000 votes.[46][47]
As chairperson of the National Advisory Committee and the UPA, she played an imp
ortant role in making the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the Rig
ht to Information Act into law.[48][49]
She addressed the United Nations on 2 October 2007, Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniv
ersary which is observed as the international day of non-violence after a UN res
olution passed on 15 July 2007.[50]
Under her leadership, the Congress-led UPA won a decisive majority in the 2009 g
eneral elections with Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister.[51] The Congress its
elf won 206 Lok Sabha seats, which was then the highest total by any party since
1991.[52] She was also re-elected to a third term as a member of parliament rep
resenting Rae Bareli.[53]
In 2013, Gandhi became the first person to serve as Congress President for 15 ye
ars consecutively.[54] In the same year, Gandhi condemned the Supreme Court's ju
dgement supporting Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code and backed LGBT rights.[
55]
In the 2014 general election, she held her seat in Rae Bareli.[56] However the I
ndian National Congress and the Congress-led UPA electoral alliance suffered the
ir worst result in a general election ever, winning only 44 and 59 seats respect
ively.[57][58][59]
Personal life
Sonia Gandhi in 2009
Sonia is the widow of Rajiv Gandhi, elder son of Indira Gandhi. Sonia has two ch
ildren, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi.
In August 2011, she underwent a successful surgery for an unspecified ailment in
the United States. It has been widely speculated in the media that the surgery
took place at Memorial SloanKettering Cancer Center in New York. Newspapers repor
ted that she returned[60] to India on 9 September after her treatment. Speaking
on 18 July 2012, about her son taking a larger role in the party, she said that
it is for Rahul to decide.[61]
Sonia was listed as one of the fifty best-dressed over 50s by the Guardian in Ma
rch 2013.[62] She follows the style quote " Simple is Stylish" and looks no furt
her than mother-in-law Indira Gandhi's "innate sense of fashion".[63]
According to an affidavit filed during the Indian general election, 2014, Sonia
had declared assets worth Rs 92.8 million Rs 28.1 million in movable and Rs 64.7
million in immovable properties. This is an almost six-fold increase since her
declaration in the last election.[64]
Honours and recognition
In 2004, Gandhi was named the third most powerful woman in the world by Forbes M
agazine[65] and was ranked 6th in 2007.[66] In 2010, Gandhi ranked as the ninth
most powerful person on the planet by Forbes Magazine.[67] She was also named am
ong the Time 100 most influential people in the world for the years 2007[68] and
2008.[69] New Statesman listed Sonia Gandhi at number 29 in their annual survey
of "The World's 50 Most Influential Figures" in the year 2010.[70]
Year Name Awarding organisation Ref.
2008 Honorary Doctorate (Literature) University of Madras [71]
2006 Order of King Leopold Government of Belgium [72]
2006 Honorary Doctorate Brussels University [72]
Books featuring Sonia Gandhi
Sonia Gandhi An Extraordinary Life, An Indian Destiny (2011), a biography wr
itten by Rani Singh.
Sonia Gandhi: Tryst with India by Nurul Islam Sarkar.
Sonia: A Biography by Rasheed Kidwai[73]
The Accidental Prime Minister by Sanjaya Baru, 2014
See also
Portal icon Biography portal
Portal icon India portal
List of political families
List of Italians
References
Sonia Gandhi. Britannica. Retrieved on 9 December 2011.
"Sonia Gandhi Biography". Elections.in. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Shankar Raghuraman (2007). Divided we stand: India i
n a time of coalitions. Los Angeles : SAGE Publications, 2007. p. 148. ISBN 978-
0-7619-3663-3.
"ASSASSINATION IN INDIA; Sonia Gandhi Declines Invitation To Assume Husband'
s Party Post". The New York Times. 24 May 1991. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
"Fourth time in a row, Sonia Gandhi is Congress chief". The Times of India.
4 September 2010. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
Religioscope: India: politics of renunciation, traditional and modern Analys
is. Religion.info. Retrieved on 9 December 2011.
Ramaseshan, Radhika (30 August 2002). "BJP sees Gujarat ammo in Sonia origin
s". The Telegraph (Calcutta, India). Retrieved 2 February 2010.
Nelson, Dean (14 January 2011). "Sonia Gandhi under pressure over Bofors sca
ndal relationship". The Telegraph (New Delhi, India). Retrieved 1 March 2014.
"On being foreign and being nationalist". Chennai, India: Frontline Magazine
. 22 May 4 June 1999. Retrieved 2 February 2010.
Pictures from the book-biography "The Red sari" by Javier Moro. Radiopopolar
e.it. Retrieved on 9 December 2011.
GeneAll.net Edvige Antonia Albina Maino
Sonia Gandhi, dalla piccola Lusiana all'India ecco il romanzo di una donna s
peciale Il Giornale de Vicenza. 5 Oct 2009
Maini Lusiana.
Sonia Gandy. Il Giornale di Vicenza. 2004 (with picture of her native house)
Lusiana: parish church, townhall square, landscape. Youreporter.it. Retrieve
d on 9 December 2011.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/32475652/The-Red-Sari. Sonia Maino Gandhi from Lus
iana to Orbassano, pages 2227.
Meeting Mr Maino. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
In Maino land[dead link]. Retrieved 23 March 2007.
Italy heralds 'first woman PM'. BBC. 14 May 2004. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
"Sonia Gandhi Biography". Pressbrief.in. 23 September 2011. Retrieved 11 Mar
ch 2014.
"The Sonia Shock". Time. 17 May 2004. Archived from the original on 4 June 2
011. Retrieved 12 June 2009.
"News Features". Catholic Culture. 20 November 2001. Retrieved 11 March 2014
.
"Profile: Sonia Gandhi". BBC News. 16 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
BREAKING THE SILENCE Retrieved 20 July 2007.
Ramachandran, Aarthi. Decoding Rahul Gandhi. p. 1973. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
"Citizen Sonia". Frontline. 5 June 1999. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
Rasheeda Bhagat. "Sonia Gandhi: Ordinary Italian to powerful Indian | Busine
ss Line". Thehindubusinessline.com. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
Who is Quattrocchi? Retrieved 23 March 2007.
"BJP accuses Sonia of flouting law". The Indian Express. 12 May 1999. Retrie
ved 12 April 2011.
Venkatesan, V (June 1999). "Citizen Sonia". Frontline 16 (12). Archived from
the original on 22 April 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
"Citizenship: How to lose it?". Trentini Nel Mondo. Retrieved 2 February 201
0.[dead link]
"The Sitaram Kesri case: How dynasty trumped ethics | Latest News & Updates
at". Daily News & Analysis. 10 July 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
"Sonia Gandhi re-elected Congress president, unopposed". NDTV. 3 September 2
010. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
"India's Congress Party rallies for Sonia Gandhi". CNN. 17 May 1999. Retriev
ed 2 February 2010.
"Sonia Gandhi Biography about, family and professional history, political jo
urney and awards won". Elections.in. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
"A Congress bastion since 1952". The Hindu. 28 February 2004. Retrieved 24 M
ay 2014.
"General election 1999, Candidate wise result". Election Commission of India
. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
"Detailed Profile Smt. Sonia Gandhi Members of Parliament (Lok Sabha) Who's
Who Government: National Portal of India". Archive.india.gov.in. Retrieved 11 Ma
rch 2014.
"LS to witness 26th no-confidence motion in its history". The Times of India
. 17 August 2003. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
"Statistical Report on General Elections, 2004 to the 14th Lok Sabha" (PDF).
ECI. p. 308. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
Pioneer News Service. "Whose inner voice?". CMYK Multimedia Pvt. Ltd. Archiv
ed from the original on 9 April 2007. Retrieved 20 July 2007.
"Sonia is Indian, rules SC". The Times of India. 13 September 2001. Retrieve
d 26 May 2014.
"Indian press lauds Gandhi decision". BBC. 19 May 2004. Retrieved 6 February
2008.
"Profile: Sonia Gandhi". BBC. 23 March 2006. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
"'Hurt' Sonia quits as MP, chairperson of NAC". Retrieved 23 March 2006.
"Rae Bareli Lok Sabha". Elections.in. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
"Sonia strides to victory with record margin". Rediff. 11 May 2006.
Employment Bill not a populist measure: Sonia. Retrieved 13 July 2007.
After RTI success, it's right to work. Retrieved 13 July 2007.
"Sonia Gandhi raises disarmament issue at UN meet". The Times of India. 2 Oc
tober 2007. Retrieved 2 October 2007.
"India's new government sworn in". BBC News. 22 May 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2
014.
"Hail to the chief: Sonia spurs Cong to new heights". Hindustan Times. 11 Ma
rch 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
"List of Winning candidates Final" (PDF). Election Commission of India. p. 8
. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
"Sonia Gandhi completes 15 years as Congress president". Livemint. 13 March
2013. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
"Disappointed over court ruling on gay rights: Sonia Gandhi". Retrieved 12 D
ecember 2013.
"Sonia Gandhi wins by over 3.52 lakh votes". The Indian Express. 16 May 2014
. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
"After its worst defeat ever in Lok Sabha elections, what can Congress do to
recover?". Daily News & Analysis. 19 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
"The worst defeat: Where the Congress went wrong". IBN Live. 17 May 2014. Re
trieved 21 May 2014.
"Results". NDTV. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
Sonia returns after surgery. Indian Express (9 September 2011). Retrieved on
9 December 2011.
"It's for Rahul to decide: Sonia". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 18 July 2012.
Cartner-Morley, Jess; Mirren, Helen; Huffington, Arianna; Amos, Valerie (28
March 2013). "The 50 best-dressed over 50s". The Guardian (London).
"Simple is stylish: Sonia". telegraph India. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 9 No
vember 2012.
"Sonia Gandhi files papers, shows six-fold hike in assets". The Times of Ind
ia.
"The World's 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes Magazine. 20 August 2004. Retr
ieved 30 May 2014.
"Sonia Gandhi in Forbes' list for 2007". Forbes Magazine. 30 August 2007. Re
trieved 31 August 2007.
In Maino land. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
Sonia Gandhi among Time's 100 for 2007. Retrieved 14 May 2007
Sonia Gandhi among Time's 100 for 2008. Retrieved on 1 May 2008.
"Sonia Gandhi 50 People Who Matter 2010". New Statesman. Retrieved 4 October
2010.
M. R. Venkatesh (6 September 2008). "Madras University honours Manmohan, Son
ia". Chennai: Hindustan Times. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
"Belgium honours Sonia Gandhi". Daily News and Analysis. India. Retrieved 9
June 2011.
"Arbiter at the Gates | Sheela Reddy". Outlookindia.com. Retrieved 11 March
2014.
Further reading
S. R. ET AL. BAKSHI (1998) Sonia Gandhi, The President of AICC South Asia Bo
oks. ISBN 81-7024-988-0
Rupa Chaterjee (1999) Sonia Gandhi: The Lady in Shadow Butala. ISBN 81-87277
-02-5
C. Rupa, Rupa Chaterjee (2000) Sonia Mystique South Asia Books. ISBN 81-8587
0-24-1
Moro, Javier "El sari rojo" (Ed. Seix Barral, 2008) "Il sari rosso" (Il Sagg
iatore, 2009)
External links
Official
Indian National Congress Party profile
Parliamentary profile at India.gov.in
Others
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sonia Gandhi.
Profile at BBC News
Profile at Forbes
Sonia Gandhi collected news and commentary at The New York Times
Sonia Gandhi collected news and commentary at The Guardian
Sonia Gandhi collected news and commentary at The Wall Street Journal
Sonia Gandhi collected news and commentary at Al Jazeera English
Sonia Gandhi at the Internet Movie Database
Works by or about Sonia Gandhi in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
Works by Sonia Gandhi on Open Library at the Internet Archive
Sonia Gandhi at the Notable Names Database
Party political offices
New office Chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance
2004present Incumbent
Lok Sabha
Preceded by
Sanjay Singh Member of Parliament
for Amethi
19992004 Succeeded by
Rahul Gandhi
Preceded by
Satish Sharma Member of Parliament
for Rae Bareli
2004present Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Sharad Pawar Leader of the Opposition
19982004 Succeeded by
Lal Krishna Advani
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