Rahul Gandhi pays emotional tribute to father Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary, calls Sonia’s memoir a ‘beautiful story’

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday paid tribute to his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary, while also expressing pride in his mother Sonia Gandhi ahead of the publication of her memoir, ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’.

In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi recalled the last time he saw his parents, Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi, together more than 35 years ago. He said he had watched his mother face the challenges of life with “never-ending courage and dignity” since Rajiv Gandhi’s death.

“Only Priyanka and I really know what you have been through, and how difficult your life after Papa truly was,” Rahul Gandhi said, addressing his mother.

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He said he was happy and proud that Sonia Gandhi’s story would finally be read by the millions of people who love her. He also acknowledged the difficulty of writing a memoir for someone who had guarded her privacy.

“Today, on his birthday, I can see Papa smiling and looking down proudly at his beautiful Sonia,” Rahul Gandhi said, signing off with “Love, Rahul”.

Sonia Gandhi’s memoir, ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’, is scheduled to be published by Alfred A. Knopf on November 10. The book will reflect on her life, her marriage into the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, and her experiences of India’s social and political changes over six decades.Sonia Gandhi, 79, was born in Italy and was studying in Cambridge, England, when she met Rajiv Gandhi, the son of former prime minister Indira Gandhi and grandson of India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

Reflecting on her decision to write the memoir, Sonia Gandhi said that “heartbreak and loss” pushed her into public life and politics after she had fiercely guarded her privacy.

She said writing about her life was difficult as it required her to share experiences she had kept deeply personal. The book, she said, traces a thread of love and loyalty through her childhood in Italy and her years in India as Rajiv Gandhi’s wife and Indira Gandhi’s daughter-in-law.