HVK Archives: Sonia's Italian passport
Sonia's Italian passport - The Daily
R. K. Bajaj
()
January 15, 1998
Title: Sonia's Italian passport
Author: R. K. Bajaj
Publication: The Daily
Date: January 15, 1998
When part of the Congress says that they are not
utilising Sonia Gandhi's appeal properly I tend to agree. Till
today no one in the Congress has made even an attempt to project
Sonic Gandhi's commitment to India or the fact that of the 51
years of her life, she has spent 32 in India... which is more
than double the number she spent in Italy as an Italian.
And no she did not take up Indian citizenship in 1984.
She was forced to become an Indian in 1983!
And the reason was because of an EXPOSURE published in SURYA
INDIA magazine... a magazine I was to edit later, but I can't
claim credit for this investigation. This whole story was the
work of the present BJP candidate from the Chandni Chowk
constituency and owner of Surya and Join Studios Dr J K Join, and
another reporter. Said reporter is now a full fledged member of
the CPI-M.
The story had revealed for the first time that Mrs Sonia Gandhi
ran a life insurance business from the PRIME MINISTER'S HOUSE...
which is not really as awful as It sounds because you have to do
something with yourself even if you are the prime minister's
daughter-in-law. But the catch in the LIC contract in operation
then was that you had to be an Indian citizen to be an LIC agent.
Well the LIC made a HUGE exception in Sonia Gandhi's case.
However our clerks having been trained In the British tradition
decided to enter it on file that Mrs Sonia Gandhi's nationality
was NOT Indian.
To cut a long story short the magazine obtained and published a
copy of her passport and the cover heading read S SONIA GANDHI
A NATIONAL SECURITY RISK?"
The story caused an uproar... with Atal Behari Vajpayee himself
placing the question before government in parliament... within a
week of the uproar Sonia Gandhi asked for and got an Indian
passport. The allegation levelled then, as it Is being levelled
now, was that she did not really WANT to accept Indian
citizenship but was forced to do so because of the embarrassment
cause to her mother-in-law the then prime minister of India.
This could be the truth.
It could also be that having had no intention at all of over
being involved in politics or public life Sonia Gandhi hung on to
the country of her birth. No one gives up their mother country
just like that! And as Rajiv Gandhi was to say later "It never
occurred to us that even this could become an issue... I always
thought Sonia's passport was her own personal affair"
That might sound not just naive but even politically stupid. But
that's the kind of bloke Rajiv Gandhi was.
And that's the kind of person Sonia Gandhi is. An admittedly very
pretty and charming housewife who also dabbles In history,
cultures art and loads of social work.
And today the great Congress party depends entirely on the
talents of an admittedly very pretty and charming housewife!
The Lord bless India...
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