'Absolutely Not' to 'Theek Hai' and Finally No: Sonia Gandhi Recalls Why She Rejected PM's Post

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has revealed the emotional turmoil behind her decision to turn down the prime minister's post in 2004, recalling how she briefly agreed under pressure from alliance leaders before ultimately changing her mind after speaking to her children, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

In her newly released memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, Gandhi describes how she had initially ruled out becoming prime minister. Months before the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, when her children asked whether she would accept the position if Congress won, she replied, "Absolutely not!"

Rahul and Priyanka were also against the idea, having witnessed the assassinations of their grandmother Indira Gandhi and father Rajiv Gandhi. They associated the country's top political office with heightened personal danger.

However, after the Congress-led alliance's victory, several leaders gathered at her 10 Janpath residence and urged her to accept the position. When Gandhi initially refused, the leaders surrounded her and insisted they would not take no for an answer.

Feeling overwhelmed, she eventually murmured, "Theek hai" (All right). The leaders immediately began congratulating her.

Her children, however, were distressed. Priyanka rushed to find Rahul in tears, while Rahul confronted his mother, asking why she had agreed despite knowing she did not want the job.

After hours of reflection, Gandhi went to Rahul's room and told him she had made up her mind to stick to her original stand. He embraced her and said it was the right decision.

Gandhi eventually announced in Parliament that she would follow her "inner voice" and decline the prime minister's post. She subsequently proposed Dr Manmohan Singh as the leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party.

The memoir also recounts her personal struggles, family tragedies and political journey.