Gandhi expressed confidence that a change of government would bring back good governance. However, she cautioned that rebuilding democratic institutions and restoring their strength would take time and require collective efforts from political parties. On opposition unity, she said the Congress was working with like-minded parties and that its political prospects were improving with each passing day.
Sonia Gandhi made these remarks in an interview with The Hindu, published ahead of the release of her forthcoming book, Belonging: A Journey of Love. The book will be published by HarperCollins India on November 10. It covers her personal life, her connection with India, her political journey, the Congress party and her views on the country's current political situation.
Gandhi said the past 12 years had inflicted deep damage on India's democracy, institutions and social fabric. She believes ordinary people are now beginning to understand the extent of this damage and are increasingly uneasy about the prevailing circumstances. She emphasised that even after a change of government, restoring democratic institutions and the broader system to a healthy state would take considerable time. Political parties would have to make serious and sustained efforts to achieve this.
Despite these concerns, she said she remained optimistic about India's future and believed people would welcome the return of a better system of governance.
Discussing the Congress party's current political position, Gandhi highlighted the challenges faced by the opposition since the present government came to power at the Centre. She alleged that opposition parties were not getting a level playing field in elections and claimed that the government exercised complete control over institutions, particularly the Election Commission. She also alleged that mainstream media was under the government's influence.
According to Gandhi, the use of money power and religion was further influencing the political contest. Despite these circumstances, she said the Congress continued to fight and its leaders and workers had faced various forms of challenges and persecution. From villages to district-level organisations, party members remained committed to protecting the values enshrined in the Constitution.
She also referred to allegations of electoral irregularities and election theft that had emerged in several elections in recent months, saying these developments had made people more aware of the situation.
On the prospects of opposition unity and political alliances, Gandhi said the Congress was working alongside parties that shared its ideological outlook. She maintained that the way the party had managed to hold its ground under the prevailing political circumstances demonstrated its resilience. She added that the Congress's prospects were improving day by day.
Gandhi also clarified the party's position on political compromises and alliances. She acknowledged that political circumstances sometimes make compromises necessary and that parties may have to join hands with organisations whose ideologies differ from their own. However, she said such decisions had never been comfortable for her.
She made it clear that the Congress had never compromised with the BJP or the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and would not do so in the future.
Explaining the ideological differences between the Congress and the BJP-RSS, Gandhi said some Congress leaders had expressed views suggesting that the party should not take an unequivocal position on secularism. However, she stressed that this did not represent the Congress's official position. She said the party had consistently stood through its work and policies for every citizen's constitutional right to practise their religion and follow their beliefs without fear.
Reflecting on her decision not to accept the Prime Minister's post after the Congress victory in 2004, Gandhi said she had never regretted the decision. At the time, Manmohan Singh was leading the government while she was responsible for managing the party. Their roles were different, but they worked as a team. She described the experience as a positive one.
Speaking about the influence of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi on her personal and political journey, Sonia Gandhi said she had learnt a great deal from both after coming to India. Their courage, sensitivity, commitment to a secular and democratic India, and emphasis on placing duty above everything else had a lasting influence on her life.
She added that although she had grown up in Italy, values such as loyalty towards family and friends, sensitivity towards others and a sense of responsibility continued to shape her personality.
Gandhi also described the Emergency as a dark chapter in the history of independent India. She pointed out that democratic rights had been suspended during the period and that the right to habeas corpus had also been suspended.
She noted that Indira Gandhi later assessed the situation herself and decided to hold elections in March 1977. Indira Gandhi had also expressed regret over the excesses committed during the Emergency and apologised for them.
Sonia Gandhi's remarks bring the Congress's criticism of the BJP-led government, its position on opposition unity and its approach towards constitutional institutions into focus ahead of the publication of her book on November 10.
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