Gandhi Legacy: Sonia & Family

**KALKI** · #1 10-03-2011

Sonia Gandhi (Hindi: सोनिया गांधी; born Edvige Antonia Albina Maino on December 9, 1946) is the President of Indian National Congress, one of the major political parties of India.

She is Italian-born daughter-in-law of the late Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi. After her husband Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in 1991, she was invited by the Indian Congress Party to take over the Congress but she refused and publicly stayed away from politics amidst constant prodding by the Congress.

She finally agreed to join politics in 1997 and in 1998, she was elected as the leader of the Congress. Since then, she has been the President of the Indian National Congress Party becoming the longest serving President in September 2010. She has served as the Chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance in the Lok Sabha since 2004.

In September 2010, on being re-elected for the fourth time, she became the longest serving president in the 125-year history of the Congress party.

Gandhi was named the third most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine in the year 2004 and was ranked 6th in 2007.

In 2010, Gandhi ranked as the ninth most powerful person on the planet by Forbes Magazine.

She was also named among the Time 100 most influential people in the world for the years 2007 and 2008.

The British magazine New Statesman listed Sonia Gandhi at number 29th in their annual survey of "The World's 50 Most Influential Figures" in the year 2010.

Early lifeShe was born to Stefano and Paola Maino in contrada Màini ("Maini street") in Lusiana, a little village 30 km from Vicenza in the region of Veneto, Italy. She spent her adolescence in Orbassano, a town near Turin, being raised in a traditional Roman Catholic family and attending a Catholic school. Her father, a building contractor, died in 1983.

Her mother and two sisters still live around Orbassano.

In 1964, she went to study English at the Bell Educational Trust's language school in the city of Cambridge. She met Rajiv Gandhi, who was enrolled in Trinity College at the University of Cambridge in 1965 at a Greek restaurant while working there, as a waitress to make ends meet.

Sonia and Rajiv Gandhi married in 1968, following which she moved into the house of her mother-in-law and then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi.

The couple had two children, Rahul Gandhi (born 1970) and Priyanka Gandhi (born 1972). Despite belonging to the influential Nehru family, Sonia and Rajiv avoided all involvement in politics. Rajiv worked as an airline pilot while Sonia took care of her family.

When Indira was ousted from office in 1977 in the aftermath of the Indian Emergency, the Rajiv family moved abroad for a short time.

When Rajiv entered politics in 1982 after the death of his younger brother Sanjay Gandhi in a plane crash on 23 June 1980, Sonia continued to focus on her family and avoided all contact with the public.

Wife of the Prime Minister
Sonia Gandhi's involvement with Indian public life began after the assassination of her mother-in-law and her husband's election as Prime Minister. As the Prime Minister's wife she acted as his official hostess and also accompanied him on a number of state visits.[citation needed] In 1984, she actively campaigned against her husband's sister-in-law Maneka Gandhi who was running against Rajiv in Amethi. At the end of Rajiv Gandhi's five years in office, the Bofors Scandal broke out. Ottavio Quattrocchi an Italian business man believed to be involved, was said to be a friend of Sonia Gandhi, having access to the Prime Minister's official residence.

In 1980, her name appeared in the voter's list for New Delhi prior to her becoming an Indian Citizen, when she was still holding Italian Citizenship.

It was a violation of Indian Laws When she did acquire Indian Citizenship in April 1983, the same issue cropped up again, as her name appeared on the 1983 voter's list when the deadline for registering had been in January 1983.

Foreign birthGandhi's foreign birth has sparked intense debate and opposition.Although Sonia Gandhi is actually the fifth foreign-born person to be leader of the Congress Party, she is the first since independence in 1947.

Early in her leadership, there was even criticism from within the Congress Party. In May 1999, three senior leaders of the party (Sharad Pawar, Purno A. Sangma, and Tariq Anwar) challenged her right to try to become India's Prime Minister because of her foreign origins. In response, she offered to resign as party leader, resulting in an outpouring of support and the expulsion from the party of the three rebels who went on to form the Nationalist Congress Party.

A senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee said that she surrendered her Italian passport to the Italian Embassy 27 April 1983. Italian nationality law did not permit dual nationality until 1992. So by acquiring Indian citizenship in 1983 she would automatically have lost Italian citizenship

In office
1999–2004

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Born 9 December 1946 (1946-12-09) (age 64)
Lusiana, Veneto, Italy
Citizenship Indian
Nationality Indian
Political party Indian National Congress
Spouse(s) Rajiv Gandhi (m. 1969–1991) «start: (1969)–end+1: (1992)»"Marriage: Rajiv Gandhi to Sonia Gandhi"
Children Rahul Gandhi
Priyanka Gandhi
Residence 10 Janpath, New Delhi, India
Profession Political
Social Worker
Religion Roman Catholicism

**KALKI** · 10-03-2011

Rahul Gandhi (pronounced /rɑːˈhuːl ˈɡɑːndi/; Hindi: राहुल गांधी; born 19 June 1970) is an Indian politician and member of the Parliament of India, representing the Amethi constituency.

His political party is the Indian National Congress.

Early lifeRahul Gandhi was born in Delhi, the first amongst 2 children of Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India and Sonia Gandhi, the current Congress President. He is the elder brother of Priyanka Gandhi. His grandmother was Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and his great-grandfather was Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister.

He attended St. Columba's School, Delhi[4] before entering The Doon School in Dehradun (Uttarakhand), also his father's alma mater, from 1981-83 before being home-schooled for security reasons. He got his B.A. from Rollins College, Florida in 1994. He received an M.Phil. in Development Studies in 1995 from Trinity College, Cambridge

Born 19 June 1970 (1970-06-19) (age 40)
New Delhi, India
Nationality Indian
Political party Indian National Congress
Spouse(s) None
Residence New Delhi, India
Alma mater Rollins College
Trinity College, Cambridge

**KALKI** · 10-03-2011

Priyanka Vadra (née Gandhi) (born 12 January 1972), is an Indian politician. She is the granddaughter of Feroze Gandhi and Indira (Nehru) Gandhi, and belongs to the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Early lifePriyanka Vadra is the second of two children of late Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, current President of the Indian National Congress, and the Chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance.

Her father Rajiv Gandhi, grandmother Indira Gandhi and great-grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru were all Indian Prime Ministers. Her grandfather Feroze Gandhi was a respected parliamentarian and her great-great-grandfather, Motilal Nehru, was a distinguished leader in the Indian Independence Movement

She attended Modern School (New Delhi)] Convent of Jesus and Mary, New Delhi, and holds a degree in psychology from Delhi University. She is an amateur radio operator, carrying the callsign of VU2PGY.

Born 12 January 1972 (1972-01-12) (age 39)
Delhi, India
Residence Delhi, India
Political party Indian National Congress
Spouse Robert Vadra
Children Raihan Vadra and Miraya Vadra

**KALKI** · 10-03-2011

Rajiv Ratna Gandhi (Kashmiri/Hindi: राजीव गांधी; 20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was the sixth Prime Minister of India, serving from October 1984 to December 1989. He took office after his mother's assassination on October 31, 1984; he himself was assassinated on May 21, 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40.

Rajiv Gandhi was the elder son of Indira and Feroze Gandhi. He was educated at Cambridge, where he met Italian-born Sonia Maino, whom he later married. After Cambridge, he became a professional pilot for Indian Airlines.

He remained aloof from politics despite his family's political prominence. It was only following the death of his younger brother Sanjay Gandhi in 1980 that Rajiv entered politics. Following the assassination of his mother in 1984 after Operation Blue Star, Indian National Congress party leaders nominated him to be Prime Minister.

Rajiv Gandhi led the Congress to a major election victory in 1984 soon after, amassing the largest majority ever in Indian Parliament. The Congress party won 411 seats out of 542. He began dismantling the License Raj - government quotas, tariffs and permit regulations on economic activity - modernized the telecommunications industry, the education system, expanded science and technology initiatives and improved relations with the United States. Unequal effects of Liberalisation - Dismantling the license raj in India.

In 1988, Rajiv reversed the coup in Maldives antagonising the militant Tamil outfits such as PLOTE."Indian Troops end coup in Maldives". New York Times. 1988-11-05.

Retrieved 2011-02-19. He was also responsible for first intervening and then sending Indian troops (Indian Peace Keeping Force or IPKF) for peace efforts in Sri Lanka in 1987, which soon ended in open conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) group."IPKF should not have been sent to Sri Lanka". Pune Mirror.

Retrieved 2011-02-19. In mid-1987, his alleged Bofors scandal broke his honest, corruption-free image and resulted in a major defeat for his party in the 1989 elections.

Rajiv Gandhi remained Congress President until the elections in 1991. While campaigning, he was assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE or Tamil Tigers) group. His widow Sonia Gandhi became the leader of the Congress party in 1998, and led the party to victory in the 2004 elections. His son Rahul Gandhi is a Member of Parliament and the General Secretary of All India Congress Committee.

Rajiv Gandhi was posthumously awarded the Highest National Award of India, Bharat Ratna, joining a list of 40 luminaries, including Indira Gandhi.

Rajiv Gandhi was an active amateur radio operator, and used the callsign VU2RG.

Early life

Rajiv Gandhi was born into India's most famous political family. His grandfather was the Indian independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru, who was the India's first Prime Minister after independence.

Rajiv is not related to Mahatma Gandhi, although they share the same surname. Rajiv's father, Feroze, was one of the younger members of the Indian National Congress party, and had befriended the young Indira, and also her mother Kamala Nehru, while working on party affairs at Allahabad. Subsequently, Indira and Feroze grew closer to each other while in England, and they married, despite initial objections from Jawaharlal due to his religion (Zoroastrianism). "We aren't family". The Indian Express.

Rajiv was born in 1944 in Mumbai, during a time when both his parents were in and out of British prisons. In August 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru became the prime minister of independent India, and the family settled in Allahabad, and then at Lucknow, where Feroze became the editor of The National Herald newspaper (founded by Motilal Nehru). However, the marriage was faltering and, in 1949, Indira and the two sons moved to Delhi to live with Jawaharlal, ostensibly so that Indira could assist her father in his duties, acting as official hostess, and helping run the huge residence. Meanwhile, Feroze continued alone in Lucknow. Nonetheless, in 1952, Indira helped Feroze manage his campaign for elections to the first Parliament of India from Rae Bareli.

After becoming an MP, Feroze Gandhi also moved to Delhi, but "Indira continued to stay with her father, thus putting the final seal on the separation."

Relations were strained further when Feroze challenged corruption within the Congress leadership over the Haridas Mundhra scandal. Jawaharlal suggested that the matter be resolved in private, but Feroze insisted on taking the case directly to parliament:

"The Parliament must exercise vigilance and control over the biggest and most powerful financial institution it has created, the Life Insurance Corporation of India, whose misapplication of public funds we shall scrutinise today." Feroze Gandhi, Speech in Parliament, 16 December 1957.

The scandal, and its investigation by justice M C Chagla, lead to the resignation of one of Nehru's key allies, finance minister T.T. Krishnamachari, further alienating Feroze from Jawaharlal.

After Feroze Gandhi had a heart attack in 1958, the family was reconciled briefly when they vacationed in Kashmir. However, Feroze died soon afterwards from a second heart attack in 1960.

**KALKI** · 10-03-2011

INTERVIEW

NEGATIVE ISSUES BY CERTAIN PPL TOWARDS SONIA GANDHI:

MY PERSONAL THOUGHT ABOUT HER IS....REGARDLESS OF HER BACKGROUND OR WHO SHE MARRIED...AND HER ROLE IN INDIA...HER BEING FEMALE...

IT HAS NOT BEEN EASY FOR HER...PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS HATE ON HER...AND I DNT BLAME THEM FOR DISLIKING HER...

ON EITHER SIDE OF THE FENCE...CERTAIN "ITALIANS" WILL CALL HER A "SELL OUT OR A TRAITOR" AND CERTAIN "INDIANS" WILL NEVER SEE HER AS A FULL INDIAN..

SHE HAS NEVER FULLY PROMOTED HINDUISM, & HISTORY WILL JUDGE HER FOR THAT...INDIA AFTER ALL IS A HINDU NATION AND IT HAS BEEN FOR CENTURIES.

WHATEVER PEOPLE THINK OF HER...SHE HAS SHOWN STRENGTH OVER THE YEARS...AND I FIND THAT WORTH ADMIRING...BUT LET IT BE KNOWN, I AM NOT A FAN OF HERS OR THAT DYNASTY.

**Silvia** · 10-03-2011

wooooooooow !!!!!
fantastic!!!!!!

kal thank you very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I didn't know all these things!!
really thanks !!!!!!!!

Sonia was born in my area (also where I live now) = Veneto

**KALKI** · 10-03-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silvia

wooooooooow !!!!!
fantastic!!!!!!

kal thank you very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I didn't know all these things!!
really thanks !!!!!!!!

Sonia was born in my area (also where I live now) = Veneto

I DONT KNW MUCH ABOUT SONIA'S HISTORY IN ITALY...BUT YEH...U SURE DO HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON WITH HER

**Silvia** · 10-03-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by KALKI

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silvia

wooooooooow !!!!!
fantastic!!!!!!

kal thank you very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I didn't know all these things!!
really thanks !!!!!!!!

Sonia was born in my area (also where I live now) = Veneto

I DONT KNW MUCH ABOUT SONIA'S HISTORY IN ITALY...BUT YEH...U SURE DO HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON WITH HER

Hahhahahaaha

!!

xD
if my mom hears that I'm laughing alone, she asks me if I'm crazy

xDxDxD