Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Nov 10: Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has recalled that she had "begged" her husband and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi not to enter politics, but chose not to oppose her son Rahul Gandhi when he decided to join the political arena.

In her memoir, titled *'Belonging: A Journey Of Love'*, which hit stands worldwide on Tuesday, Sonia Gandhi revealed that Rahul had a long-standing interest in politics and deeply admired his father's courage in continuing public life despite the looming threat to his life, NDTV reported.

"Two decades earlier, I had begged Rajiv not to enter politics, not to throw himself and all of us into that menacing world. Now, it was my son's turn, and this time I did not resist it. Rahul had foreseen his father's end; he had fought with him over it. Yet he carried within him a deep kinship with his father's values and respect for the courage with which he had soldiered on despite the looming threat," she wrote.

The senior Congress leader also recalled the enduring association of Rahul and her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra with Amethi, the Gandhi family's traditional political stronghold in Uttar Pradesh.

According to Sonia Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi had taken Rahul to Amethi several times when he was a schoolboy and later introduced him to the harsh realities of rural life.

Priyanka, meanwhile, had been actively involved in Amethi during all of Rahul's elections, building close relationships with party workers and local residents.

However, Sonia Gandhi said Priyanka's immediate priorities at the time were raising her young children and pursuing a postgraduate diploma in Buddhist studies.

Rahul, whenever he returned to India, would accompany his mother or sister to Amethi, making him a familiar face in the constituency. It was during these visits, particularly after his eventual return to India, that he gradually developed an interest in working as a representative of the people.

Sonia Gandhi further revealed that Rahul's MPhil subject at Cambridge University was Development Studies and that he closely followed political developments in India even while working abroad.

The Congress party had been strongly urging him to take up an active political role, a decision that would completely transform his life by turning him into a public figure under constant public scrutiny.

She said Rahul eventually made up his mind after discussions with Priyanka and her, along with considerable personal reflection.

In March 2004, Rahul Gandhi announced that he would contest his maiden Lok Sabha election from Amethi, while Sonia Gandhi shifted her electoral focus to neighbouring Rae Bareli.

Recalling his electoral debut, Sonia Gandhi said Rahul had "won handsomely" and enthusiastically embraced his new responsibilities. He focused on bringing businesses and industries to rural Amethi, following the development approach adopted by his father, Rajiv Gandhi.

She also praised Priyanka's organisational abilities, describing her as a "capable manager" who established self-help groups (SHGs) in Amethi to encourage women to support one another and become agents of change.

Sonia Gandhi said the groups began on a small scale but showed considerable promise. With Rahul's involvement, the Amethi self-help group initiative grew into the largest such network in northern India.

She also credited Rahul with establishing a much-needed eye hospital in the constituency, which subsequently expanded its branches to Lucknow and Haryana.