Sonia Gandhi says she has had little personal contact with Prime Minister Modi
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In her memoir, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi claims that interactions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been limited to brief formal greetings.
Sonia Gandhi wrote in her memoir Belonging: A Journey Of Love that, despite attending the same official events, she has had "practically no real contact" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She said the two exchange a formal namaste at gatherings such as the post-session meeting in the Speaker's chamber, but that Modi "tends to look away, avoiding eye contact," a departure from past practices of cross-party cordiality.
Gandhi added that beyond occasional birthday and New Year wishes, the leaders have not engaged in substantive conversation. She recalled that when she returned from a hospital stay, Modi asked, "Theek hain aap?" ("Are you all right?") and she responded affirmatively.
The former Congress chief contrasted her own upbringing, which she described as rooted in family values of liberty and equality, with Modi's vision of India, which she said is shaped by RSS ideologues and emphasizes hierarchy, order and control. She characterized her perspective as inclusive, secular and focused on social justice, while portraying Modi's stance as driven by a different ideological framework.
Gandhi also noted that Modi sometimes uses coarse language in parliamentary speeches and rallies, and that the BJP seeks a "Congress-free India," reflecting what she views as an exclusionary agenda linked to the RSS.
"He tends to look away, avoiding eye contact," Gandhi wrote.
"Narendra Modi's idea of India was constructed by the ideologues of the RSS and the experience of his own growing up. It affirmed a fundamentalism in which his faith and culture superseded all others," she said.
The memoir, released today, offers Gandhi's personal reflections on the political divide between the two leaders.