Sonia Gandhi Recalls ‘Midnight Chat’ With Rahul Before Turning Down PM Post In 2004

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has shared the emotional upheaval that ensnared her when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government won the 2004 Lok Sabha polls and party leaders asked her to be the Prime Minister.

In her book, Belonging: A Journey of Love, released on November 10, Gandhi had explained how she had told her children Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, that she would not take the top job. But her indecision was short lived as a few senior party leaders convinced her to pull back and she eventually agreed to do so.

Sonia Gandhi Initially Ruled Out Becoming PM

Even before the results of the 2004 elections, Gandhi had spoken to her children about her aspirations of becoming Prime Minister.

When asked whether she would accept the post if the UPA won, her response was an emphatic no.

“Absolutely not!” she recalled telling them. Rahul, then 34, and Priyanka, 32, sought confirmation, but Gandhi maintained that she was clear about her decision.

She said her position had remained consistent throughout the election campaign, but her emotions began to fluctuate as the prospect of becoming Prime Minister became real.

UPA Leaders Pressure Her To Accept The Post

The situation changed during a meeting with Congress leaders at her residence, 10 Janpath, after the UPA’s electoral victory.

Gandhi recalled that several colleagues urged her to take up the Prime Minister’s post and strongly opposed her decision to decline it.

She wrote that the leaders surrounded her and insisted that they would not accept her refusal. Feeling overwhelmed by their reaction, she eventually murmured, “Theek hai” (Alright).

According to her account, the leaders immediately began congratulating her, assuming she had agreed to become Prime Minister.

Priyanka And Rahul Were Distressed

Priyanka, who was waiting outside the room, was reportedly shaken when she heard that her mother had agreed to the proposal. She rushed inside and informed Rahul, who was in his room.

The siblings then approached their mother, visibly distressed.

Gandhi wrote that Rahul questioned her decision, asking, “What about us?” He was unconvinced when she said she had been pressured into agreeing and walked away angrily.

Priyanka, meanwhile, urged her mother not to allow herself to be forced into accepting a position she did not want. She reassured Gandhi that she and Rahul would help her handle the situation.

Sonia Gandhi’s Midnight Conversation With Rahul

After the meeting, Gandhi retreated to her bedroom, emotionally exhausted. She recalled lying on her late husband Rajiv Gandhi’s side of the bed and reflecting on the decision.

In the memoir, she describes being torn between concerns about her Italian birth and the responsibility she felt towards India, the country she had made her home.

She also recalled thinking about the trust people had placed in her and the Congress party. Eventually, she reached the conclusion that she should remain true to her original decision.

A few hours later, she went to Rahul’s room and told him she had made up her mind to stick to her stand. Rahul embraced her and reassured her that it was the right decision.

Sonia Gandhi Names Manmohan Singh As PM

Gandhi said she faced further appeals from party colleagues when she returned to announce her decision.

She eventually declared that she would step down as leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party and proposed former Finance Minister Manmohan Singh for the post.

The announcement was met with applause, slogans and emotional reactions from several MPs. Rahul and Priyanka also stood up and applauded as their mother left the lectern.

Manmohan Singh went on to become India’s first Sikh Prime Minister. He served two consecutive terms, from 2004 to 2014, leading the UPA government.