The Congress leader describes her early days as a bride and the former prime minister's sudden outbursts of anger.
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has described the temperament of former prime minister Indira Gandhi in her recently released memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love. According to reports by The Times of India, the 544-page book, published by HarperCollins India, traces Gandhi's life from her childhood in post-war Italy to her entry into politics.
In the memoir, Gandhi recalls how Indira Gandhi's occasional explosions of temper could leave staff members feeling numb. She describes an instance where a staffer was made to stand in a corner for repeatedly forgetting to remind the former prime minister of an appointment.
Gandhi also recounts seeing a senior Congress Party member in a kurta and dhoti standing immobile while staring at a wall as ordered by her mother-in-law. She noted that Indira Gandhi would sometimes ignore offending individuals for days or flare up at the dining table following unpleasant exchanges with the opposition in Parliament.
The memoir states that while Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi would wait silently for these moments to pass, Sonia Gandhi would often feel shaken. She wrote that until she knew her mother-in-law well, she would "quake in my seat."
The book further notes that Indira Gandhi's tense moments decreased after she became a grandmother. Gandhi writes that the presence of her grandchildren had a calming effect on the former prime minister.
