Sonia Maino (Sonia Gandhi) was born from a traditional Roman Catholic family in a small village known as “Luciana” on 9th December, 1946 in Italy. She was reading in a Catholic School located in Orbassano, a town near “Turin” of Italy. Her father was a simple building mason who died in the year of 1983. She has two sisters still living around Orbassano. The financial condition of her family does not permit her for higher education, for which, she came to the city of Cambridge to study English at the “Bell Educational Trust’s Language School” at the age of 18years. In addition to her English study, she worked as a waitress in a Greek Restaurant known as “Varsity Restaurant” to overcome her family’s financial crises. Rajiv Gandhi was also a student of “Trinity College” at University of Cambridge, and some times come to that Greek restaurant. In 1965 she met Rajiv Gandhi in the said restaurant and fell in love with him after knowing the details history of Gandhi family in Indian politics, and also married to Rajiv Gandhi in the year of 1968, while she was 22 years old. Her fate was tremendously changed after marriage to Rajiv Gandhi, the son of the Prime Minister of India, Late Indira Gandhi. It also a matter of surprise that her name was appeared in the voter list in 1980 for New Delhi, while she was holding Italian citizenship, which was against the Indian Laws. She got Indian citizenship in 1983. In 1984 she actively campaigned against “Meneka Gandhi” his sister in law, the widow of late Sanjay Gandhi, younger brother of Rajiv Gandhi in “Amethi” constituency, a state of Uttar Pradesh. At the end of Rajiv Gandhi's five years in office, the Bofors Scandal broke out. Ottavio Quattrocchi, an Italian business man believed to be involved, was said to be a friend of Sonia Gandhi, having access to the Prime Minister's official residence and involvement of Sonia in that issue is still under cloud. After the assassination of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv became the Prime Minister of India, and most of the time Sonia accompanied with him to attend different programs and meetings organized by Congress(I) politicians (an Individual political party of Late Indira Gandhi not Indian National Congress) of India in different states. She learned a lot about Indian politics through Rajiv Gandhi. After the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in the year of 1991, out of fear, she became keep distance from politics in spite of approach of Cong (I) politicians. The reason for approach is that Congress Party and its politicians have accumulated a huge amount of black money in India as well as in foreign nations, and it is obvious that those who are benefited from Congress(I) will support Sonia. It is also a matter of surprise that why the congress (I) leaders are thinking to give the prime minister ship in the hand of Nehru family only by ignoring the true Gandhi family, though Mahatma adopted Indira Gandhi as her daughter consequent upon marriage to Feroz Khan. Sonia finally joined Congress (I) in 1997 and elected as leader of Congress in 1998. In 2004, she was named the third powerful women in the world by Forbes Magazine, ranked 6th in 2007, ranked 9th position in 2010 by ignoring the names of Indian powerful women, those who are more talented than Sonia. Because of her financial stability and powerful position in politics, she got honorary doctorate degree from the University of Madras and from Brussels also. Whatever rank, positions and powers she has been assigned is due to late Rajiv’s only.

Sambhunath Tiadi-Freelance Journalist-Lawyer