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==Early Life==
==Early Life==
Born to Stefano and Paola Maino, as '''Sonia Maino''', in [[Orbassano]], a town 20 [[kilometre|km]] from [[Turin]], [[Italy]], she spent her adolescence in Orbassano being raised in a conservative [[Roman Catholic]] family and attending a Catholic school. Her father, a building [[contractor]], died in [[1983]], but her mother and two sisters still live around Orbassano. While doing a certificate course in [[English language|English]] at a language school in [[Cambridge|Cambridge, England]] she met [[Rajiv Gandhi]], who later became [[Prime Minister of India]]. They were [[marriage|married]] in [[1968]], after which she took up residence in India. She acquired Indian citizenship in 1983. The couple had two children, [[Rahul Gandhi]] (born [[1970]]) and [[Priyanka Gandhi]] (born [[1972]]). Despite the family's heavy involvement in politics (her mother-in-law [[Indira Gandhi]] was Prime Minister), Sonia and Rajiv avoided all involvement - Rajiv worked as an airline pilot, and Sonia took care of her family. When Indira was ousted from office in [[1977]] and when Rajiv entered politics in [[1982]], Sonia continued to focus on her family and avoided all contact with publicity.
Born to Stefano and Paola Maino, as '''Antonia Maino''', in [[Orbassano]], a town 20 [[kilometre|km]] from [[Turin]], [[Italy]], she spent her adolescence in Orbassano being raised in a conservative [[Roman Catholic]] family and attending a Catholic school. Her father, a building [[contractor]], died in [[1983]], but her mother and two sisters still live around Orbassano. While doing a certificate course in [[English language|English]] at a language school in [[Cambridge|Cambridge, England]] she met [[Rajiv Gandhi]], who later became [[Prime Minister of India]]. They were [[marriage|married]] in [[1968]], after which she took up residence in India. She acquired Indian citizenship in 1983. The couple had two children, [[Rahul Gandhi]] (born [[1970]]) and [[Priyanka Gandhi]] (born [[1972]]). Despite the family's heavy involvement in politics (her mother-in-law [[Indira Gandhi]] was Prime Minister), Sonia and Rajiv avoided all involvement - Rajiv worked as an airline pilot, and Sonia took care of her family. When Indira was ousted from office in [[1977]] and when Rajiv entered politics in [[1982]], Sonia continued to focus on her family and avoided all contact with publicity.


==Role in Indian politics==
==Role in Indian politics==

Revision as of 18:52, 12 April 2006

Sonia Gandhi (सोनिया गाँधी) (born December 9, 1946), is an Italian-born Indian politician, the President of the Indian National Congress (Congress Party) and the widow of former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi. She was the Chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance in the Lok Sabha, until she resigned on the 23rd of March 2006. She was named the third most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine, next to Condoleezza Rice and Wu Yi in the year 2004. [1].

Early Life

Born to Stefano and Paola Maino, as Antonia Maino, in Orbassano, a town 20 km from Turin, Italy, she spent her adolescence in Orbassano being raised in a conservative Roman Catholic family and attending a Catholic school. Her father, a building contractor, died in 1983, but her mother and two sisters still live around Orbassano. While doing a certificate course in English at a language school in Cambridge, England she met Rajiv Gandhi, who later became Prime Minister of India. They were married in 1968, after which she took up residence in India. She acquired Indian citizenship in 1983. The couple had two children, Rahul Gandhi (born 1970) and Priyanka Gandhi (born 1972). Despite the family's heavy involvement in politics (her mother-in-law Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister), Sonia and Rajiv avoided all involvement - Rajiv worked as an airline pilot, and Sonia took care of her family. When Indira was ousted from office in 1977 and when Rajiv entered politics in 1982, Sonia continued to focus on her family and avoided all contact with publicity.

Role in Indian politics

Following her husband's assassination on May 21, 1991, there were calls for her to enter politics by members of the Congress Party. After her refusal, the party settled on the choice of P V Narasimha Rao as leader and, subsequently, Prime Minister. She finally entered politics just before the 1998 national election. She officially took charge of the Congress party as the president in 1998 and was elected to parliament in the elections held in 1999. She was elected the Leader of the Opposition of the 13th Lok Sabha in 1999. During her campaign, her opponents (chiefly the Bharatiya Janata Party) played up her foreign birth, her failure to take up Indian citizenship for 15 years after her marriage, and her lack of fluency in Hindi. In May 1999, Sonia Gandhi offered to resign from the Congress Party leadership after three senior leaders challenged her right to try to become India's Prime Minister given that she was someone "not born of Indian soil."

In the Indian general elections, 2004, when the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was set to win a majority (as per most opinion polls), Sonia launched an aggressive campaign, criss-crossing the country on the 'Aam Aadmi' (Ordinary people) slogan in contrast to the 'India Shining' slogan of the conservative BJP-led NDA alliance. After her party's surprise victory, she was tipped to be the next Prime Minister of India. On May 16, she was unanimously voted to lead a 15-party coalition government which was subsequently named the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). Parliament was, however, badly fractured. Despite being the largest party in Parliament, even the 15-party UPA was not able to secure a majority and had to depend on outside support from the Left (Communist) Parties to form a government. After a storm of controversy against her foreign origin issue, Gandhi declined the prime minister post. Her supporters have hailed this as an act of renunciation while her opponents have attacked it as a political move in which the ultimate aim is to gain an absolute majority for the Congress Party in Parliament, subsequent to which she will become Prime Minister.

The issue about her foreign origin supposedly disqualifying her from becoming the Prime Minister was settled when the Supreme Court of India dismissed a petition filed by Ashok Pandey challenging her right to the office. [2]). The Supreme Court would also dismiss an attempt to prosecute her for falsely claiming to have graduated from Cambridge University during the election campaign[3].

On May 18, a day before her scheduled inauguration, in a politically 'shrewd' move (as per her critics) or reasonable (as per her supporters) - to avoid the pain of another costly agitation and division of the nation based on ideology, she suggested economist Manmohan Singh for the Prime Minister's post. Manmohan Singh was the Finance Minister in a previous Congress government headed by Rao and is considered by many as the Father of Indian Reforms. Moreover, the fact that he was not known to have any political ambitions and that he enjoyed a good rapport with Gandhi probably helped him to win the post. Gandhi retained the post of the Leader of the Majority and the Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party. This arrangement enabled her to keep political control of the party and to deal with the political fire fights in the giant coalition government while leaving the management of the country in hands of Manmohan Singh. Congress President Sonia Gandhi on 23 March 2006 announced her resignation from Lok Sabha and also as chairperson of National Advisory Council (NAC). This is the quell the agitation created by the BJP led oppositions parties in Parliament. Accoring to Indian law , an elected person can not hold the office of profit (meaning paid posts). She is expected to seek mandate again from her constinuency Rae Bareilly from where she has been elected.

Family

Despite her father's vehement opposition to her marriage to Rajiv, Sonia maintains close links with her family in Italy. Her son, Rahul Gandhi had also won election to the Parliament in 2004, and many consider him to be the natural heir to the reins of the party, and the next Congress leader to become Prime Minister. Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra did not contest elections, but is also often speculated about in the media. Sonia and her children are estranged from Maneka Gandhi, the widow of Rajiv's younger brother Sanjay and her son Varun, who are both members of the BJP.

Literary contributions

Sonia Gandhi has authored two books: Rajiv and Rajiv's World. In addition, she has also edited Freedom's Daughter and Two Alone, Two Together (two volumes of letters exchanged between Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi from 1922 to 1964).

References

  • S. R. ET AL. BAKSHI (1998) Sonia Gandhi, The President of AICC South Asia Books. ISBN 8170249880
  • Rupa Chaterjee (1999) Sonia Gandhi: The Lady in Shadow Butala. ISBN 8187277025
  • C. Rupa, Rupa Chaterjee (2000) Sonia Mystique South Asia Books. ISBN 8185870241

External links

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