Ah, no daughter-in- law for Sonia yet!
"Ah, I don't have one," Congress president Sonia Gandhi remarked, almost blushing, on Friday when Hindustan Times editorial advisor Vir Sanghvi mistakenly referred to her non-existing daughter-in- law as one of her family members.
Referring to her remark that she had discussed her decision to step down as MP on the controversial office of profit issue, Sanghvi asked her if she had talked only to her son, daughter and 'daughter-in- law' before the move.
Gandhi, who gestured as if she was feeling sad about it, was quick to respond: "Ah, I don't have one." And she looked at her MP son Rahul Gandhi, who was seated in the audience (at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit). The entire audience broke into laughter.
Rahul wanting to marry his Hispanic girlfriend Veronique aka Juanita. Adamant son wins over reluctant mom?
Rahul, 37, who has been appointed Congress general secretary in charge of youth wing of the party, is a bachelor. The Congress president said she herself wanted to quit the Lok Sabha when a controversy erupted over parliamentarians holding offices of profit.
"I did not want the government in an embarrassing situation. The government was in an awkward situation.I did not want the government to issue an ordinance to save my membership," she said replying to a question about her decision to quit her Lok Sabha membership from Rae Bareli.
"Immediately I discussed with my son, daughter and son-in-law. Morally I had to do it (step down)," she said adding that it was normal for a person to discuss such a decision with one's close family members. Gandhi was re-elected to the Lok Sabha with a landslide majority in a by-election later.
The Congress chief added she discussed issues with her "party colleagues in the Congress Working Committee and some other seniors and youngsters depending on the issue".However, she said there was not a single person on whom she relies for advice.
When asked whether there was a RK Dhawan (who used to be seen as a powerful personal aide to former prime minister Indira Gandhi) or Brajesh Mishra (National Security Advisor to former prime minister AB Vajpayee) she said: "No, no, there is no single individual."
