Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has revealed in her memoir that she had “begged” her husband Rajiv Gandhi not to enter politics, but chose not to resist when her son Rahul Gandhi made the same journey. The disclosures appear in her book ‘Belonging: A Journey Of Love’, which went on sale worldwide on Tuesday, 10 November 2026.

Sonia's Words on Rajiv and Rahul

In a passage from the memoir, Sonia Gandhi wrote: “Two decades earlier, I had begged Rajiv not to enter politics, not to throw himself and all of us into that menacing world. Now, it was my son’s turn, and this time I did not resist it.” She added that Rahul had “foreseen his father’s end” and had “fought with him over it,” yet carried “a deep kinship with his father’s values and respect for the courage with which he had soldiered on despite the looming threat.” The contrast between her two interventions — desperate pleading with Rajiv, quiet acceptance with Rahul — forms one of the memoir’s most emotionally candid passages.

The Amethi Connection

Sonia Gandhi described the Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh as the site of an “enduring relationship” for both Rahul and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. She recalled that Rajiv Gandhi had taken a young Rahul to Amethi “a number of times as a schoolboy,” deliberately exposing him to the realities of rural life. Priyanka, meanwhile, was present through “all of her elections, endearing herself to party workers and people,” even as her immediate priority was raising her young children and completing a postgraduate diploma in Buddhist studies.

Rahul's Path to Public Life

According to the memoir, Rahul Gandhi’s academic background — an MPhil in Development Studies from Cambridge — kept him closely engaged with political events in India even while he was employed abroad. The Indian National Congress (INC) had been “strongly urging him to take on an active role,” which Sonia Gandhi described as “a complete change of life.” The decision, she wrote, came after “discussions with Priyanka and me and some deep thinking on his part.” In March 2004, Rahul Gandhi announced he would contest from Amethi, with Sonia shifting to the neighbouring Rae Bareli seat.

First Election and Early Work in Amethi

Sonia Gandhi recalled with evident pride that Rahul Gandhi had “won handsomely” in his debut election and had “embarked enthusiastically on his new responsibility, bringing businesses and industries into rural Amethi, as Rajiv had done.” On the ground, Priyanka established self-help groups (SHGs) in the constituency, described in the book as a vehicle for women to become “agents of change.” The Amethi SHG eventually grew into the largest such network in northern India, reportedly with Rahul’s active involvement. He also established an eye hospital whose branches subsequently extended to Lucknow and Haryana.

Significance of the Memoir

This is a rare personal account from one of India’s most closely watched political families, offering an insider perspective on the Gandhi dynasty’s political inheritance at a time when Rahul Gandhi leads the Congress as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The book’s release comes as the Congress attempts a broader political resurgence, lending the memoir a significance beyond personal history. ‘Belonging: A Journey Of Love’ is expected to draw wide readership given the continuing national relevance of its subjects.