New Delhi: Why did former Congress President Sonia Gandhi decide to reject the post of Prime Minister in 2004? The answer to this question has now been found in his new book 'Belonging: A Journey of Love'. In an excerpt from this book, which will be available in the market from November 10, Sonia has shared her experiences of that period. He told that there was constant turmoil in his mind regarding becoming the Prime Minister. On one hand there were expectations from the party and the public, on the other hand her children Rahul and Priyanka did not want their mother to accept this post.
According to an excerpt from the book published in 'The Indian Express', Sonia has also mentioned the night when she took the final decision not to become the Prime Minister. He wrote that after much thought the doubts in his mind suddenly went away. He heard a voice from within that he should be honest with himself and leave this post.
Rahul and Priyanka had given advice to their mother
Sonia Gandhi told that before the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, she had discussed with Rahul and Priyanka whether they should become Prime Minister if Congress won. On this she had clearly said that she would not do this. Both the children were also not in favor of this. He had seen the pain of the assassination of his grandmother Indira Gandhi and father Rajiv Gandhi. He feared that becoming Prime Minister might also put his mother's safety at risk. According to Sonia, both of them felt relieved after hearing his answer.
Confusion increased due to pressure from leaders
After the election results came, a big question arose before Sonia. He felt that it was his responsibility to carry forward the political legacy of Indira and Rajiv Gandhi. At the same time, the hopes of party workers and voters were also on him. When alliance leaders came to persuade him to become the Prime Minister, Rahul asked why he said yes to the post. Sonia told that the leaders were not ready to listen to her. Priyanka also advised him to stick to his old decision. Sonia feared that if she became Prime Minister, BJP would raise the issue of her foreign origin. This could have increased political controversy and affected the functioning of the government. She did not want her decision to affect the development of the country. It was more important for him to form a strong and secular government.
Manmohan Singh made a contender for the post of Prime Minister
Sonia told in the book that when she announced her rejection of the post in the Central Hall of Parliament, many Congress leaders became emotional and started appealing to her to change the decision. He also had to stop his speech for some time. However, she stuck to her decision. After this he put forward the name of Dr. Manmohan Singh for the post of Prime Minister. In this way, in 2004, the command of the UPA government was handed over to Manmohan Singh.