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Sometimes Sonia Gandhi used to go to Maneka Gandhi after hearing her laughter. She would ask what was making her laugh so much and then would sit there and start listening to Maneka's friends or about some book she was reading.
Sonia's daughter Priyanka was also often found sitting in her aunt Maneka's room, listening to her stories. These are the memories of the time when Maneka was married to Sanjay Gandhi and she came into the house as the 'younger daughter-in-law' of the Gandhi family.
Sonia Gandhi writes that initially she liked the arrival of a young sister-in-law in the house. But gradually their relationship and the atmosphere at home started changing.
In her book 'Belonging: A Journey of Love', Sonia has recalled the events from the initial days of her relationship with Maneka till she left his house.
HarperCollins India has published this 526-page book in India on November 10.
News agencies PTI, NDTV and 'The Week' have published these parts of the book.
When 'Chhoti Bahu' came into the house
Image source: Sanjeev Verma/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
According to PTI, Sonia Gandhi has written that Sanjay Gandhi met Maneka in late 1973.
Both of them got married within a year. Maneka was 18 years old at that time.
End
Sonia remembers her as a young girl full of enthusiasm, friendly and talkative.
According to him, initially the atmosphere of the house changed with the arrival of Maneka and she got the support of her sister-in-law like a younger sister.
Sonia writes that sometimes she would reach out to Maneka after hearing her laughter and then join her conversations.
Priyanka Gandhi was also very close to her aunt. According to Sonia, Priyanka used to sit in Maneka's room many times and listen to her stories carefully.
But Sonia writes that after some time, tension started increasing in the house over small matters.
What was there in the address of 'Bahurani' and 'Chhoti Bahu'?
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The staff of the house used to call Sonia 'Bahurani' and Maneka as 'Chhoti Bahu'.
Sonia writes that in her eyes both were equal as daughters of that house and there was enough space for both of them in the family.
But he feels that perhaps Maneka associated calling both of them by different names with her being inferior.
According to Sonia, when she found Maneka's tone rude, she generally remained silent to maintain peace in the house.
But when she felt that the matter had gone too far, she would also respond in a harsh tone.
Sonia also believes that it would not have been easy for a young girl like Maneka, who is sociable and likes to be among people, to adjust herself in that joint family.
According to him, the members of the house were busy in their respective work. In such a situation, Maneka must have found the atmosphere of the house confined and dull.
Sonia writes that when Maneka started attending political programs with Sanjay Gandhi, she started looking somewhat comfortable in her new environment.
But during this time tension within the family also started increasing. According to Sonia, her relationship with Maneka also grew distant.
What changed after Sanjay Gandhi's death?
Image source: Chandradeep Kumar/The India Today Group via Getty Images
Sanjay Gandhi died in a plane crash on 23 June 1980.
According to Sonia's memoir, after this a new question arose before the family whether Maneka should be given any political role in the Congress.
Sonia writes that Indira Gandhi was not in favor of giving the responsibility of leadership to Maneka at that time.
According to him, Indira Gandhi felt that 23-year-old Maneka was too young for this role. Their child was also only three months old and they should give time to take care of it.
According to Sonia, Indira Gandhi believed that Maneka would have a lot of time ahead to fulfill her political desires.
But Sonia writes that it soon became clear that Maneka's political plans were something else.
These differences gradually started affecting the relationships within the family as well.
Why did Maneka leave the house?
According to Sonia Gandhi, when Indira Gandhi was in London on an official tour, she came to know that Maneka was getting her belongings removed from the house.
After returning from London, Indira Gandhi presented two options to Maneka.
According to Sonia, Indira told her to stop those political activities to which she had objections, or to live somewhere else.
Sonia writes that in response to this, Maneka sent a letter to Indira Gandhi, in which many allegations were made.
According to an excerpt from the book published in NDTV, when Maneka was leaving the house and had an altercation with Indira Gandhi, Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi were not present at home.
Despite this, Sonia writes that Maneka held Rajiv and her responsible along with Indira Gandhi for leaving her home.
Sonia alleges that the entire matter was made public in such a way that its discussion reached outside the house, to political circles and the media.
She writes in the book that the way the incident of Maneka's departure came to light and the publicity that followed, it would have been called a 'reality show' in today's times.
These memories recorded in Sonia's book begin with Maneka's laughter and the spontaneous conversation between the two.
But by the time it reached the end, the same relationship had become entangled between allegations related to family and politics.
In this way, Sonia Gandhi has presented two completely different pictures of her relationship with Maneka in her memoir.
The first picture is of that 'little daughter-in-law', whom she used to go to after hearing his laughter. The second is of a relationship in which differences beyond the confines of the home became public and political disputes.
Published by Collective Newsroom for the BBC.
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