Congress Leader Sonia Gandhi has revealed under which circumstances she decided to turn down the Prime Minister's post after the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UAPA) won the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. In her recently released memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, the leader wrote that she listened to her conscience and decided to decline the PM's post. 

Initially, the Congress leader said "no" to the post. After intense pressure from coalition partners, she reluctantly said "okay". However, she later rejected the post completely and categorically.

What made her take the decision?

In the memoir, Sonia Gandhi wrote that her children, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, did not want her to emerge as the Prime Minister of India. Both had suffered the pain of losing their grandmother, Indira Gandhi, and the death of their father, Rajiv Gandhi, in a bomb blast. They had become convinced that holding this constitutional office meant putting their lives at grave risk.

The book read that the Gandhi family discussed the power-sharing months before the 2004 elections. Initially, when Rahul and Priyanka asked about it to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, she replied "no" to becoming the prime minister. The Gandhi siblings were overjoyed to hear it. 

Intense Pressure From Coalition Leaders

After the election results, during a meeting in Rajiv Gandhi's conference room at 10, Janpath, leaders of the coalition parties were putting intense pressure on Sonia Gandhi to take charge. Sonia Gandhi writes that when she refused to accept the position, chaos erupted in the room. All the leaders rose from their seats, rushed towards her, and surrounded her. The leaders were sterned and said, "We will not accept this. Madam, you cannot make this decision. We do not wish to hear no."

Amid the party's pressure, Sonia Gandhi whispered, almost inaudibly, "Okay." Greetings poured in as she nodded to the offer