COVER STORY

NEWSMAKER 2004 IT WAS A COMPELLING SAGA IN POLITICAL EVOLUTION AS SONIA GANDHI EMERGED AS THE POWER ABOVE THE THRONE The Soaring Mrs G

■ By Prabhu Chawla Long before the tsunami that devastated the coastal life of and other parts of Asia, there was a tidal wave called Sonia Gandhi. It too originated in a subterranean crack-up, deep under the saffron idyll, and the multiplying fury swept aside the pretence of infallibility. When the force receded, the political shore was littered with the wreckage of an arrogance called the . Sonia, for so long an accidental Gandhi who symbolised stagnation, stood amidst the debris, shining and soaring, as the woman who brought back to life a party that almost every professional doomsayer—and its own disillusioned legion—thought was beyond revival. The leader rearmed was a foreign-born Gandhi, ready to redefine politics and dictate the governance of over a billion people. This Gandhi too earned a slice of history and is determined to shape it. In the last days of 2004, when the tsunami was not a metaphor but an awesome reality that took a toll of more than 12,000 lives across the southern shores of India, it was Sonia who took charge of disaster management. As the prime minister was getting the first reports of the tragedy at his residence at 3 Race Course Road, 3 km away at 10 Janpath, the lady was already working the phones and mobilising the relief force. On December 26, barely 15 minutes after the first killer wave hit the shores, cabinet ministers Mani Shankar Aiyar and Dayanidhi Maran were instructed by her office to leave for the worst affected areas, and the two continued to take instructions even while boarding the flight to Chennai. Meanwhile, an AICC official contacted the defence minister, who was in Kolkata at that time, and asked him to send defence personnel to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and other devastated sites. And who boarded an air force plane, along with the defence minister, for an aerial survey of the horror? Not the but the president of the . As the prime minister spent his time with files, she was there, among those who survived the wrath of water, extending a hand of solace, as a people’s leader who cares. She was the first to reach out. The prime minister got a first-hand experience of south Asia’s biggest natural tragedy days later. An extra-constitutional power centre? Or the moral imperatives of the supreme leader? The most powerful individual in the country draws her power not from any formal office but the collective submission of those who are in power. After more ABSOLUTE than a decade, Congressmen at last got a Gandhi who could REUTERS/KAMAL KISHORE POWER: Sonia postpone their redundancy and bring the Congress, the natural

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AP PHOTO/ELIZABETH DALZIEL ruling party of India, to its rightful place imperfection, had already evolved into in Indian politics—the vital centre and the reader of the popular mind. on the left side of history. “We are all in She reached out to the India that awe. We cannot afford to defy her. We was hardly shining. As the boisterous endeavour to be in her good books. rulers felt the intimations of immortal- There is no second centre of power,” ity when they experienced the eruption says an AICC member. That is, there is of party workers, she gave herself to no duality of power but its singular the masses. True, she was not a prime manifestation in Sonia, who, apart ministerial candidate; and she was from being the president of the not always a perfect picture of confi- Congress, is the chairperson of the dence. She was, most often hopelessly, ruling UPA as well as the National fighting against an artificially bloated Advisory Council (NAC) for the Common entity called the BJP. She opted to be Minimum Programme, which sets the persistent, smarter and cleverer: she agenda. Despite the disparate coalition sought out the right allies in the right partners and their conflicting ideas of places, that too at a time when the India, she, for all practical purposes, is BJP was losing allies. Past enemies the agenda as well as the arbiter. became friends; and she compensated for her own disadvantage among certain castes and communities by Power and Sacrifice choosing partners who had the backing No mean achievement for a woman of those sections. Suddenly, Sonia was whose first steps as the leader of India’s acceptable to leaders like M. Karuna- Grand Old Party were less than nidhi, Laloo Prasad Yadav, Vaiko, Ram tentative. She had nothing except that Vilas Paswan and Shibu Soren. Much to mystique of the surname and the the disappointment of some of her local mounting desperation outside the leaders, she “surrendered” to the doorstep. Life in India’s first family may traditional anti-Congress forces. Prag- AP PHOTO/MANISH SWARUP have introduced her to the passions matism diluted principles, for she had RITE OF PASSAGE: Sonia became the most powerful by renouncing power and choosing Manmohan as prime minister and privileges of power. More intima- the hidden agenda of victory, victory And Sonia triumphant was a more prime minister. Her party made consti- In 1999, when she failed to get “272” to tely, she saw—and lived through—the somehow. What was at stake was more engrossing event. She became the most tutional history by authorising her to form the government, Sonia told tragedy that stalked the family. So, than the viability of the Congress as a powerful by renouncing power. nominate the leader of the House. For friends she would not be the prime Sonia as Congress president in 1998, political force. It was the viability of a That was the story telecast, the story of the first time Independent India was minister. Sonia has long ago perfected the culmination of a long to-be-or-not- Gandhi in the . sacrificial rite. “In a strange way, she given a prime minister who had no the art of saying “no” at the most to-be vacillation, was an uncertain So all the more reason that has defined what is Indian. She intention of becoming an elected mem- strategic moments. beginning. As she progressed, the party the leader—caricatured as a leader has pulled off an Indian idiom—renun- ber of the . Sonia’s choice al- couldn’t keep pace with her, in spite of without a chance by the residents of ciation with an understanding of tered parliamentary parameters. And till, determined to erase the the fact that the leader’s pace was far make-believe—should keep her cool. power. She has pulled off a terrific self- the Sonia Gandhi- impression that she was the from being too fast and too furious. She Sonia refused to be provoked by the portrait out of the jigsaw puzzle of partnership marked a new concept of power that matters, she has reached the kinetic stage during the constant demonisation. She did not images that surround her,” says Shiv power-sharing in politics. She is the Sbeen making it a point to visit the 2004 general elections. And it went have any time for the tasteless pun of Visvanathan, social anthropologist. power above the throne, which re- prime minister’s residence and has largely unnoticed, for the most notice- Ram rajya versus Rome rajya. She was The flashlights did not illuminate the mained conspicuously apolitical. “Last asked him not to see her in her office able spectacle those days was the busy choosing the right candidates and real script, though. From the very time round, when Sonia was almost for consultations. When Manmohan dancing hubris of the ruling party. A ensuring their victory. As the BJP beginning, she gave enough hints to prime minister, Indians were not ready advised his colleagues to refrain from leader larger than the party. The retreated to the myth of an India suggest that she would not be the prime for her. She was just ’s seeing him off at the airport before his second leader on yet another rath Shining, she came out with the simple minister of a coalition—after all, she wife. A stint in the opposition and her foreign visits, she led the ministerial yatra. The party president alliterating intimacy of “Congress ka haath, aam was not even a prime ministerial parliamentary performance gave her team to his house. But critics say this his way to irrelevance. The Generation aadmi ke saath”. And no foreign haath candidate. After the victory, while political legitimacy. After this election, is a pretext, and temporary. Next taking refuge in the fantasy of that was—her humiliated tormentors meeting the allies, she did not reveal when she stepped aside for Manmohan According to them, her involvement in India Shining. The BJP had taken India would realise later. Sonia on the stump any prime ministerial agenda. Singh, she got popular legitimacy,” says the NAC is an indication of her future for granted. Bigger mistake: they had was single-minded aggression. The gag Cohabiting with the Laloos and Sorens Dipankar Gupta, sociologist. intent. Pulak Chatterjee, joint secre- POWER OF NO: Sonia announces taken Sonia for granted. And Sonia, too would change, from “Honey I and Pawars was never an option. Her After all, post-Renunciation, she is tary in the PMO, reports to both the she will not be the prime minister once the reluctant leader who read out shrunk the Congress” to “Honey I Gandhi-Nehruvian education in politics tyag murti (the goddess of sacrifice) in prime minister and the party presi- in the Central Hall of Parliament ghost-written speeches to laughable shrunk the BJP”. and the Italian genes made it the panegyrics of Congressmen. She dent. Chatterjee, once a blue-eyed boy impossible for her to participate in an has always been one. In that tear- of Rajiv, is the key person who deals The irony is that the most powerful individual in the arrangement where she would not be soaked AICC session at P.V. Narasimha with all the sensitive matters in the the last and the lasting word. Rao’s residence on May 22, 1991, one PMO. Then, she is rather partial to the country draws her power not from any formal office but As the wailing Congressmen cried day after Rajiv’s assassination, she was survivors of the Rajiv era. The junior- in sycophantic unison and elected their unanimously chosen as Congress most officer was chosen to head the the collective submission of those who are in power. saviour, she picked an old loyalist as president. She declined 24 hours later. SPG. For, Bharat Wanchoo too is of

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RAGHU RAI NARENDRA BISHT Rajiv vintage. She may be the first in the dynasty HEIRS APPARENT: The grooming of the next who does not occupy the highest office Gandhi has begun while the party is in power, but she has acquired all the trappings of that office. The new Mrs G has not one office, but seven. “She added a whole new chapter to the Nehru-Gandhi story. Earlier, she was considered to be a footnote to but she is a chapter by herself,” says Visvanathan. She may have inherited the walk and the wardrobe of Indira, but she is far from being the beloved of the masses. “During her 1999 campaign, Sonia reportedly studied videos of her mother-in-law’s speeches. She also dramatically adopted Indira’s style and mannerisms. Her hair colour deepened from light to dark, nearly black brown. She wore saris reminiscent of Indira’s and took to wearing a man’s large wristwatch, just as Indira had,” writes Katherine Frank in Indira. Mother Supreme Sonia confines herself to a favoured few. Congress ministers meet her as Once a reluctant leader who read out ghost-written often as possible; so do others like Laloo and Paswan. From outside the Govern- speeches to laughable imperfection, Sonia has already ment, the CPI(M)’s Sitaram Yechury and CPI’s D. Raja enjoy a good rapport with metamorphosed into the reader of the popular mind. her. “On an average, she meets 30 people every day and goes through 100 ing the loyalists. The disgruntled and a problem. She avoids all that and suggest a cultural policy, he dashed it files,” says , Congress the disillusioned who abandoned concentrates power in herself,” off to the Planning Commission rather MP and member of the NAC. “Sonia Rao to float regional outfits were complains a disgruntled CWC member. than to her, a telling enough comment is the karta-dharta of the party, our handsomely rewarded. She also knows Is she all political and less cultural, on her lack of interest. Though Sonia annadaata,” adds an awestruck leader how to keep the bad eggs in her own unlike Indira? Though Sonia has remains fiercely protective of the fam- from the South. party under control. The family embraced NAC members Aruna Roy ily’s historic legacy—all the family pa- Maybe, but she lacks the charisma tradition of destabilising the state and Jean Dreze as her guides through pers in the custody of the NMML have of her mother-in-law or the charm of leaderships by periodical change of the maze of economically and socially to be cleared by her, as the trustee— her husband. She is more feared than PCC presidents and chief ministers is divided India, it is in her lack of cul- she has some way to go before admired. During the last week of the safe in Sonia’s hands. She follows tural vision that she fails to measure forming an understanding of history winter session of Parliament, when a hierarchy and insists on a structured up to her mother-in-law. or historians. concerned Congress MP spoke to interaction with partymen. That is why Over the past six years, she created External Affairs Minister K. Natwar she refuses to make direct contact with hile many attribute the laxity her own Congress. It was Indira who Singh about his blunder on a major PCC presidents or the humble AICC in formulating a cultural pol- was the first to create her own party policy issue, his response was reveal- secretaries or even the chief minister icy to Union Culture Minister after the split in 1978. Later Rajiv rein- ing: “I am fine. I met Soniaji for an hour bypassing the AICC general secretary in WS. Jaipal Reddy, her failure to vented it for the cyber age with the in- yesterday.” One notable trait Sonia has charge. “Propriety is important to her,” set virtual inheritances like the Indira duction of the computer boys. Rao acquired from Indira is aggression and says UPCC President Salman Khurshid. Gandhi National Centre for the Arts dismantled the Congress with a Gandhi the craft of using different people for “Her instinct is to delegate,” adds (IGNCA) or the Nehru Memorial Mu- tag and, quite daring for an old Cong- different jobs without one knowing Ramesh. But that could not be the seum and Library (NMML)inorderwas ressman, went on to marginalise Sonia about the other. When the question of reason why she has made the once surprising. A personnel change—get- for almost five years. But she was not replacing Sushil Kumar Shinde with powerful CWC redundant. “CWC meet- ting old loyalist Kapila Vatsyayan back ready to give up. Sitaram Kesri’s LIVING THE Vilasrao Deshmukh as chief minister of ings are simply not held. No issue is de- in the Ministry of Culture as the head selection as the AICC president in 1996 LEGACY: Sonia Maharashtra arose, she chose Ghulam bated. Because in a CWC there is always of a committee—was not enough. was part of her carefully conceived and Rajiv Nabi Azad to carry out her wishes. the risk of a recall- When Rajiv’s friend and Pupul Jaya- plan to take over the organisation. She She follows Indira’s legacy of reward- ing some worthy precedent and posing kar’s disciple Rajeev Sethi wanted to kept a low profile, but her aides were

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AP PHOTO pretty confident about over- Shrewd operators like for- coming the ephemera that mer Madhya Pradesh chief Sonia reached out to those who had survived the wrath was the old man in a hurry. minister Digvijay Singh real- Soon Kesri was gone after a ised the importance Sonia of water in south India as a people’s leader who cares. coup by the Soniaites. Since gives to this kind of feedback Chawla. At a party, she prefers to dis- 1998, she has not allowed and accordingly cultivated cuss a new restaurant in town rather any Congress leader to em- each successive general sec- than listen to political chit chat and erge as a challenger. And the retary given charge of his usually seeks the table farthest from grooming of the next state—from Prabha Rau to the spotlight. As a mother, she can Gandhi—Rahul or Priyanka Mohsina Kidwai and even a sometimes be an exasperated one, or both—has begun. (The bete noire like Ambika Soni. especially to Rahul, whose public family woman was apparent Similarly Rajasthan PCC chief demeanour she is always conscious of. even on the New Year cards Narain Singh uses his Mother’s only hurdle is her pan- sent by Sonia Gandhi, chair- mentor Natwar Singh rather Indian acceptability. With just 145 person, NAC. The photo credit than any direct access to seats in the Lok Sabha, she does not on the card read: “Priyanka Sonia to communicate with have the same aura as her husband or Gandhi Vadra 2004”.) Inevitable as the RED COMITY: Marxists like Yechury 10 Janpath. mother-in-law. She is yet to improve Mother Supreme herself signifies (centre) share good vibes with Sonia Like Indira, Sonia does not encour- Kesri’s record of winning almost the momentous moments in a continuing positively loathe politics and view it as age individual aspirations, even at the same number of seats. The Congress metamorphosis: from Sonia Maino to the enemy of her own and Rajiv’s state level. Whenever a chief minister is No. 2 or lesser in major states like Sonia Gandhi to Sonia Madam. personal happiness.” shows signs of becoming a regional Maharashtra and is far behind its Today, Madam’s favourite buzz- satrap, she cuts that individual down to allies in Tamil Nadu, , Uttar word is development. “Her main size. Which is why Soni was given Pradesh and West Bengal. It is in Return of the Cult concern is that development should charge of Madhya Pradesh during power in small states like Punjab, Quite remarkable for a young Italian reach the marginalised and not just the Digvijay’s second tenure as chief min- Delhi, Arunachal Pradesh and Hima- woman who stepped into India’s first affluent,” says Delhi Chief Minister ister. Similarly, Dikshit was made to chal Pradesh. In larger states, it is a family in politics. As Frank writes, Sheila Dikshit. Karnataka Chief wait days after winning the Delhi coalition partner, with little chance of “Indira became extremely fond of her Minister recalls how elections for the second time before she getting rid of or replacing the senior daughter-in-law, Sonia. In part, this Sonia telephoned him one night and was elected chief minister by the party ally. Uttar Pradesh, the home ground was because Sonia seemed to be docile, chided him about the delay MLAs. One of her detractors, Ram of the Nehru-Gandhis, is fast slipping accommodating and quietly affection- over the Bangalore-based Devanahalli Babu Sharma, has been made PCC chief. out of the Congress’ hands. ate. She was also intensely interested international airport project. “Even Still, at heart, Sonia retains the in the domestic arrangements of the when we meet her for discussions she essential innocence of a foreigner, one t is a historical loss, and this Gandhi household and an excellent cook. sits with a writing pad, makes notes reason why she continues to be moved still doesn’t have the slogan or so- Indira was, too, but she had no time for and ticks off points one by one. She is by the sight of poverty and deprivation. ciology to regain the lost bastion. such matters and for some years the not a dumb woman as her detractors It is something her Social Secretary ITwo Yadavs—Mulayam Singh house had been more or less run by her paint her,” says Singh. Archana Dalmia has to see to on a daily Yadav in Uttar Pradesh and Laloo in assistant Usha Bhagat. Now Sonia took While Sonia has a rapport with basis as hordes of aggrieved people Bihar—have eclipsed Sonia in the over this job. In addition, she quickly her chief ministers, the PCC chiefs often looking for aid pour into her tiny room heartland. She may have won the bat- grasped Indira’s tastes and prefer- have to rely on the general secretaries at the AICC office. tle but the war is looming. ences. In time, she even bought her concerned to get their message Sonia is far more at ease with intel- Doesn’t matter, the cult is in the mother-in-law’s saris and looked after through. Karnataka PCC President lectual pursuits. The power of a new making. One in tune with the Age her wardrobe. The one thing Sonia did Janardhan Poojary says in her defence: idea fascinates her, which is why she is of Anxiety (ask the orphaned right) and not share with Indira was politics, “Madam is in touch with the state units willing to meet a variety of people, the Era of Ecstasy (ask the ones washed which she neither attempted to under- through the observers in charge.” whether it is Shah Rukh Khan or Kiran ashore by the Dynasty). On her 58th stand or take an interest in. It was only UNITED FRONT: Sonia chose the Mazumdar-Shaw; her inaccessibility birthday bash, the 242 kg cake was later, however, that Sonia came to right allies in the right places tends to be limited to the media. When roughly four times heavier than the NARENDRA BISHT AP PHOTO/GURINDER OSAN birthday girl, who stood much taller Dikshit took over as chief minister in HAND OF SOLACE: Sonia visits areas than her 5 ft 5 inches. The mythology of 1998, it was Sonia who suggested to hit by the tsunami in Nagapattinam Mrs G redux is under construction. She her the Bhagidari system of a Jayakar to organise her life. When it could not have imagined it two decades governance. When an NGO got together comes to events, whether it is an iftar ago, when she sat in the back seat of the top artists to paint on paper made by or a media party, Sunita Kohli and white Ambassador that was braving the mentally challenged people, she went Romi Chopra are summoned—they are Delhi traffic to reach the All India Ins- with pleasure to the exhibition. seen as part of the retinue rather than titute of Medical Sciences, “cradling”, Reading is an interest. Perhaps as men and women who can shape her as Frank wrote, “Indira’s head in her it also influences her personal decisions. Art is a source of great inter- lap. Her dressing gown was soon soa- stewardship of the Nehru-Gandhi est, understandable given her training ked in blood”. Today, the new Mrs G is papers, where daughter Priyanka is in restoration. It also explains her on a life-enhancing journey. with a big influence. Yet it is not as if she has friendship with Rupika and Navin Lakshmi Iyer, Priya Sahgal and bureau reports

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