Congress Parliamentary Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has revealed in her memoir 'Belonging: A Journey of Love' that immediately after being elected Congress President on 14 March 1998, she went directly from the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting to the residence of outgoing party chief Sitaram Kesri to seek his blessings — a gesture that reportedly left Kesri visibly moved.

What Sonia Gandhi Wrote

In her memoir, Gandhi recounts the deeply personal moment in her own words: 'Kesri ji, as I always addressed him, had been an active member of the Congress for more than six decades. Suddenly, the thought came to my mind, and I went straight from the meeting to his home. I greeted him and, following the traditional custom of showing respect to elders, touched his feet.'

She further wrote that Kesri was taken aback by her sudden, unannounced arrival. 'His eyes filled with tears, and he placed his hand on my head,' Gandhi noted, capturing a moment of quiet reconciliation between the two leaders at a highly charged political juncture.

The Political Context of March 1998

The transition of power at the Indian National Congress (Congress) in early 1998 was far from smooth by most accounts. Sitaram Kesri, who had served as Congress President since 1996, was asked to step down by the CWC amid mounting pressure following the party's poor performance under then Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao in the 1996 general elections. Two short-lived governments came and went before the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed a coalition government with the support of 20 parties, led by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

It was against this backdrop that the CWC unanimously concluded a leadership change was necessary, paving the way for Gandhi's election as party chief. The events unfolded at the Congress headquarters at 24 Akbar Road, New Delhi, and have since become among the most controversial chapters in the party's modern history.

Sonia Gandhi's Account vs. the Established Narrative

Gandhi's memoir offers a strikingly different texture to the Kesri episode compared to the dominant political narrative, which has long described his removal as an abrupt and undignified ouster. Her account does not dispute that Kesri was asked to step down, but presents her own immediate response — seeking his blessings — as an act of personal respect that she felt compelled to extend, independent of the political circumstances.

This portrayal is notable given that Kesri's exit from the presidency has been cited by critics and historians as emblematic of internal Congress power struggles. Gandhi's version adds a layer of human detail that the institutional record does not capture.

About Sitaram Kesri and the Book

Sitaram Kesri, who hailed from Bihar, had been associated with the Congress for over six decades before his brief but eventful stint as party president from 1996 to 1998. He passed away in 2000. 'Belonging: A Journey of Love' was released on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, and traces significant personal and political milestones from Gandhi's life in India. The memoir is expected to offer a first-person perspective on several key moments in modern Congress history that have so far been filtered through political commentary.