‘No Real Contact’: Sonia Says PM Modi Looks Away, Calls His Humble Origins A PR Construct In New Memoir

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi has said she has had “practically no real contact” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he tends to avoid eye contact when they meet at official gatherings. In her new memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, Gandhi also questions the portrayal of Modi's humble beginnings, suggesting that his public image may have been shaped by his public relations team.

Published by HarperCollins India, the book hit the stands on Tuesday and offers Gandhi's account of her interactions with Modi, their contrasting political outlooks and the ideological differences between the Congress and the BJP.

Gandhi writes that her interactions with Modi have largely been limited to brief exchanges at semi-official events, including gatherings in the Speaker's chamber at the end of Parliament sessions. She recalls that the two exchange a formal namaste when they meet, unlike the cordial relations that leaders from different political parties maintained in the past.

“This is different from the past, when leaders across party divides would treat one another with cordiality. He tends to look away, avoiding eye contact,” she writes. Gandhi also mentions brief exchanges when Modi enquired about her health after she returned from hospital stays.

On such occasions, he asked, “Theek hain aap?” to which she responded, “Jee, ab main theek hoon, shukriya.” She adds that apart from these interactions, they have not had any meaningful conversations, although they have exchanged formal birthday and New Year greetings.

Gandhi says her understanding of India was shaped by her family and its belief in a country that embraced different communities, cultures, languages and faiths, with liberty and equality as its foundations. In contrast, she writes that Modi's worldview was influenced by RSS ideologues and his upbringing, placing his faith and culture above others.

She also reflects on her own discomfort with sections of the political elite, saying their discussions often appeared disconnected from the struggles faced by ordinary people across the country. “I often found myself ill at ease in a drawing room in Delhi in the midst of a political discussion -- feeling that the opinions expressed were very far removed from the reality of India,” she writes, as per reports.

Reflecting on Modi's political rise, Gandhi acknowledges that he “worked his way to power within the RSS from an underprivileged world”. However, she questions whether his background was as modest as the image promoted publicly, suggesting that his public relations team may have marketed his origins as more humble than they actually were.

Gandhi also takes aim at Modi's speeches in Parliament, accusing him of using language more commonly associated with his public rallies while attacking opposition parties. She says former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru remains a particular target of the BJP, which she believes is hostile to his role in establishing India's democratic and secular foundations.

Gandhi further alleges that websites associated with the Sangh Parivar carry abusive and misleading content about Nehru. The memoir also discusses the BJP's political objective of creating what the party describes as a “Congress-free India”.

Gandhi writes that the stated ambition goes beyond removing the Congress from power and extends to eliminating the party's policies and ideology. Gandhi notes Modi avoids eye contact and their exchanges are formal, unlike the cordial relations she observed among leaders in the past.

They typically exchange only a namaste and brief health inquiries.