SONIA GANDHI
Indian National Congress is one of the major Political party in India. Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi was the most famous leaders of Congress Party. Now, Sonia Gandhi is the president of Congress Parliamentary Party. She also serves as the Chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance in the Lok Sabha. She is an Italian born President of Congress party and widow of Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. Her son Rahul Gandhi was elected to Parliament from the Amethi constituency in 2004 and her daughter Priyanka Gandhi has worked as a Congress campaign manager. Sonia Gandhi took charge as the President of Congress Party in 1998 and became the fifth member of the Nehru-Gandhi’s family to take over the control of Congress party. She was also named among the third “the most powerful woman in the world” according to the Forbes magazine. At present, she is hailing the 13th position in the Time and “100 most influential people in the world” in 2007.The Indian people have great respect to this woman.
BIOGRAPHY
The great Congress President Sonia Gandhi was born on 9 December 1946 in Stefano and Paola Maino in Lusiana, a small village in Italy. Her father, a former Fascist soldier, died in 1983 and her mother and two sister still live in Orbassano in Italy. She went to study English at the Bell Educational Trust’s language school in the city of Cambridge in 1964. While enrolled this certificate course she met with Rajiv Gandhi the elder son of Smt. Indira Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. They fell in love and married on 1968. They had two children, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. From early days, both were avoided their involvement in political happenings.Rajiv Ghandi worked as an airline pilot and Sonia Ghandi served as a perfect housewife. Sonia continued as a house wife when Rajiv Gandhi entered into Politics in 1982. She received Indian citizenship in 1983.
POLITICAL CAREER
Sonia Gandhi’s involvement with the Indian politics began after the assassination of her mother in law and her husband’s election as Prime Minister. In 1984, she actively campaigned against her sister in law Maneka Gandhi, who was at that time against Rajiv Gandhi in the constituency of Amethi. The assassination of her husband Rajiv Gandhi was the greatest blow of her life. Sonia Gandhi has been slowly serving the Indian Politics. In 1997, she joined the Congress Party as a primary member in the Calcutta Plenary Session and became the party leader in 1998. She was elected as the Leader of the Opposition of the 13th Lok Sabha in 1999. In the newly created United Progressive Alliance headed by the Congress, she became the chairperson. Meanwhile owing to the office of profit controversy she resigned from the Lok Sabha and also as an adviser of the National Advisory Council. According to Indian electoral law, an elected person cannot hold an office of profit . She was, however, re-elected from her constituency at Rae-Bareilly in May 2006. Although Sonia Gandhi is actually the fifth foreign-born person to be President of the Congress Party. In broadly speaking, Nehru Gandhi family is the always extra constitutional power center in India. Sonia Gandhi is one of the luckiest women in the history of Indian politics, and she has proven that she is Indian in the heart. Her foreign birth challenged her to become India’s Prime Minister. So on 18th May she recommended famous economist Dr. Manmohan Singh for the Prime Minister’s post. She is supporting Manmohan Singh’s government and does campaign for him in various states for this coming election. Rahul gandhi also does good job from his side.
