Congress leader and former party president Sonia Gandhi has opened up about her relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in her newly released autobiography, Belonging: A Journey of Love, which hit the shelves on Tuesday. She has written that despite Modi being in office for over a decade, the two have never had any meaningful conversation, claiming that the Prime Minister often avoids making eye contact with her.
According to PTI, Sonia said their interactions are generally limited to formal greetings during semi-official occasions, particularly when leaders gather in the Lok Sabha Speaker's chamber at the end of Parliament sessions. She recalled that they exchange a customary namaste but rarely engage beyond that.
She contrasted this with earlier political times when leaders from different parties maintained cordial and warm personal relationships despite ideological differences. Sonia added that apart from formal birthday and New Year greetings, they had never had a serious conversation. However, she recalled that Modi once enquired about her well-being after she returned from hospital.
Sonia described the distance between them as ideological rather than personal, saying they have fundamentally different visions of India. While she stands for an inclusive, secular nation rooted in equality and social justice, she said Modi's worldview has been shaped by RSS ideology.
She also acknowledged that she shared some of Modi's discomfort with Delhi's privileged political elite, whose conversations, she felt, were often disconnected from ground realities.
Questioning the Prime Minister's parliamentary rhetoric, Sonia said his speeches often carried the sharp tone of election rallies. She also criticised the BJP and RSS for repeatedly targeting Jawaharlal Nehru and spreading what she described as misinformation about India's first Prime Minister.
