Two developments have ensured that Late Rajiv Gandhi's soul finally rests in peace. First was his posthumous exoneration by the Delhi High Court on February 4, 2004, in the infamous Bofors imbroglio. Second is the spirit of the ultimate sacrifice by his dignified wife Sonia Gandhi, perhaps in a bid to unobtrusively fulfill his dreams. Without the entangling strings of power, Ms Gandhi has set out to work on Rajiv’s foremost constituencies - emancipation of the underprivileged people of India and defending the secular foundation of the nation. Besides, she has also brought in Rahul in the service of the people, to be able to better fulfill the dreams of Rajiv Gandhi, for the emancipation of Indian lives.

Rajiv was goodness-personified. His following words epitomize the humane in him.

‘Do all the good you can, by all the means you can,
in all the ways you can, in all the places you can,
at all times you can, to all the people you can,
as long as ever you can.’

Talk of his human qualities and you do not find anything missing in him. The following excerpts from Bhagwad Gita constitute only a small part of the large gamut of human qualities he possessed.

‘The Supreme Lord said: “Fearlessness, purity of heart, perseverance in the practice of knowledge, charity, sense of restraint, sacrifice, study of the scriptures, austerity, honesty, non-violence, truthfulness, absence of anger, renunciation, equanimity, abstaining from malicious talk, compassion for all creatures, freedom from greed, gentleness, modesty, absence of fickleness, splendor, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, absence of malice and absence of pride- these are the 26 qualities of those endowed with divine virtues,” O Arjuna.’

Rajiv had appropriately displayed and put to constructive use, not only all of Lord Krishna’s above-listed qualities, but the entire gamut of virtues extending to much more, encompassing the minutest details. A benchmark in goodness, he was a disciple of fairness, a gentleman at heart, a simple humanitarian, a man of humility and compassion, a tested warrior, a statesman par excellence, a master innovator, a man of rare dynamism, a man of infinite courtesy, a pragmatic visionary, a firefighter, a genuine peacenik, a rooted-to-the-roots social worker, a man of rare sensitiveness and an apostle of peace. He was a man in a hurry, but then those who pursue their dream of establishing a welfare society to rid the entire populace of peril, cannot afford to work at a leisurely pace.

Rajiv evoked pride. He evoked love. He evoked respect. And all in a great measure. He did not mince words in getting to the point. He told Ronald Reagan, rather straight,’ ...the very survival of humankind today rests in the hands of a very few countries. ‘At the Kremlin in Moscow, he declared, ‚there are no winnable nuclear wars, nor any impregnable defenses against nuclear weapons.’ He carved a niche place for India in the world, and had in fact become one of the most sought after leaders in the global arena. He made his outstanding mark almost instantly in the most august of forums on the global pedestal. It is topical to quote Rajiv’s close associate K. Natwar Singh, at the Commonwealth Summit at the Bahamas in 1985, ‘On the opening day he was the second speaker after Mrs. Thatcher, who was at her combative best. Rajiv Gandhi excelled her. He had not a piece of paper with him and spoke off the cuff.

Little did this paragon of virtues realize that his forthrightness would give him devilish enemies within. Despite subtle warnings from both friends and foes, he carried on the attack ceaselessly. ‘Our administrative machinery is cumbersome, archaic and alien to popular aspirations. It is resistant to change, it must and will have to learn to serve the people-’ With no choice, however, the deterrents fell into place.

Rajiv was always restless. Termed as ‘a man in a hurry’, Rajiv worked relentlessly in pursuit of welfare for the people of his country, often missing out on being with his family. After his sad demise, the task of leading the Congress fell on the shoulders of his wife, who was then in no condition to accept the position of party leader. It therefore required much pursuing on the part of the party workers to make this reluctant entrant step into the turmoil of politics. Having led her party successfully in the Opposition for five years, she led the Congress to success in Elections 2004. The results have suggested that the people of India have been anguished by the vilification campaign unleashed against Rajiv and the family. They have rejected the purported allegations with regard to Bofors made on an innocent statesman, and thereafter, the blatant rhetoric again, against the innocent family.

It was a perennial and crippling attack on Sonia’s loyalties to the nation that she had silently withstood. The pressure to leave the nation’s oldest party to itself was spirit-breaking, coming as it did from both within and without. To top up the unbearable was the question a certain section had raised that Sonia could not technically repudiate – the question of her foreign origin. For someone to stand up to such a whirlpool situation is a story of determination as unrivalled as the sun in the solar system. In the face of impossibles, she kept her silence, her patience and most importantly her hopes afloat. To work silently to success when written off is the best answer that Sonia could give to her critics, an answer she gave not by personal self-defense, but, through the most important component of a democracy, a component which even the reigning forces have to take heed of - the electorate. Under the circumstances, May 18, 2004 was a day when a dignified bahu’s resilience made history. Generations will remember it as the day when Sonia humbly declined the Prime Minister’s post-renouncing the most legitimate and well-earned offer of the highest office in the world’s largest democracy.

However, what worries well-wishers of this committed institution (Late Rajiv Gandhi’s family) finds its roots in what Rajiv had emphatically worried about. ‘What has become of our great organization? Instead of a party that fired the imagination of the masses throughout the length and breadth of India, we have shrunk losing touch with the toiling millions… Millions of ordinary Congress workers are handicapped, for, on their backs ride the brokers of power and influence who dispense patronage to convert a mass movement into a feudal oligarchy.

Of the dream of late Rajiv Gandhi that have to come true, the commitment to “duty”, instead of desire for “authority” will necessarily have to be the hallmark of the Congress leaders.

In one extraordinary moment, Sonia had become an unparalleled leader larger than life, a leader who had fought cyclonic odds and braved unwarranted abuses. In one stroke, she had made the BJP look petty. If today there are no takers for the foreign origin issue, it is entirely to her credit. For, she chose to answer back and in a way served more purposes than one - she catapulted to the realm of personal greatness; she lifted her party and its sagging fortunes into the happening world of credibility and, last but not the least, she earned herself a place of a visionary in the service of the nation. The renunciation gave her legitimacy to enter the Hall of Fame and rub shoulders with leaders of the stature of Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose and even Jawaharlal Nehru who had offered to move away from power to serve the nation’s interests. But beyond all these exalting comparisons that critics would treat as sycophancy, lies a more concrete foundation of her lasting acceptability. And that’s the fact that Ms Sonia Gandhi is a lady with a difference, a rare persona in Indian politics who stands by her claim, has the depth of perception, is a natural morale booster, is dogged in her pursuits of party goals and is today the most powerful person despite giving up the seat of power. It also shows a rare trait that’s often missing from modern human beings - that of correctness, commitment and honesty.

To return to her commitment to her brand of ideals, Ms Gandhi stayed put through the intense pressure to assume prime ministership and, instead, installed a leader of unquestionable credential and humility to lead the nation. Architect of the economic reforms, an honest teacher, a non-controversial Congressman who has kept away from intra-party tussles, an unassuming worker with no baggage of failed struggles, the diminutive Dr Manmohan Singh is actually the tallest leader Sonia could find for her nation. India is in safe hands and Sonia is the reason for that. Dr Singh has the potential to transform India into a vibrant economy, and at a frenetic pace. And when that happens, Sonia would have achieved her dream - that of her late husband Rajiv Gandhi’s ambitions being, at last, fulfilled.

Under Sonia’s leadership, now her third term with her re-election as the President unanimously, the Congress party is also undergoing its most crucial makeover - that of infusion of young blood. From a mere daughter-in-law of a political family, Sonia has steadily grown into a legendary matriarch engaged in the most comprehensive reconstruct of a party that has serviced the nation for a major part of the Independence. Under her immaculate leadership, the Congress and the Congressmen will be made to learn slowly and steadily the actual meaning of de-escalation of power struggles, the fruits of service, the labour of earned popular love. Could there have been a more sumptuous show of Indian-ness from Sonia? Not really, considering that the lady has just lived 35 years of her life learning to be Indian as opposed to those whose ancestors have been here and learnt the art of living in true Indian tradition from pre-historic times. What a pity then that we, the people of India, were part of a crippling subversion of a human being for the past seven years that this reluctant progeny of politics stepped in to save her husband’s party. We have called her ‘power-hungry’ despite her repeated assertions to the contrary; we have traumatized her family with allegations of corruption where there were none, we have questioned her place in politics negating her presence as Congress’ life support system; we have negated her commitment to the downtrodden merely because she preferred to work for them in anonymity; we have sullied her blood and we have downed her without a fair trial. Today, she has answered all our inhibitions with panache, grace and dignity.

As the nation has gone into a new garb of clean governance at the most crucial juncture of now or never, Ms Sonia Gandhi has worked out the dynamics of propulsion to the last detail. Like a tower of support, she has worked hard on giving India a viable work structure, thrashing out the ins and outs keeping the aspirations of her allies in mind and, thus, unfolding a high-intensity stability and progress plan, that too through heartening consensus on all issues at hand. The Common Minimum Program worked out with unanimity by the UPA is a multi-splendored approach to popular welfare - it has a constant eye on the needy’s needs, it has a heart that beats among the underprivileged and it has a mind that will not bend to outside forces. Over and above that, it has a diplomatic plan to make the nation soar high in global esteem, make peace with the neighbors and lend a long-lasting well-being cover to the Indians. On the economic front, Sonia has made sure that the best in the business look after it. In short, here is a complete woman India has come to know and respect - a responsible mother, a devoted wife, a committed daughter-in-law, a keen philanthrope, an honest politician and a mature keeper of familial legacy.

Isn’t that what the indomitable Rajiv Gandhi had envisaged? Isn’t that what an Indian dream is made of?

In a nation like India, where the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world as one family) reigns supreme, concepts of ‘native’ and ‘foreigner’ seem strangely unfamiliar. In a country which accords the foundation of the nation’s oldest party, Congress, to A O Hume, a Britisher, to call a woman ‘foreigner’ who married in this country and brought up her children here, not to mention the several tragedies she underwent, is callous. It is indeed unfortunate that today we are trying to teach Indian-ness to someone who is as Indian as any of us. How can we call her a foreigner; she, who has seen all facets of life here, from being a wife, to a bahu, to a mother, and the leader of this country’s oldest party. And last but not the least, one whose spirit of sacrifice has barely had a parallel.

The sense of concern Sonia nurses for her nation, is substantiated not only by the renunciation of the all-important position, but, also her extremely judicious move of bringing in the most acknowledged architect of economic reforms in India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, who has been the best prime minister India had never had, but had always longed to have. But for visionary Sonia, this non-political paragon of virtues could never probably have occupied this august office. But, now, India is poised to truly shine with this enviable statesman at the helms. Given the support from the allies, Dr. Manmohan Singh has the potentials of transforming India into a vibrant economy at a pace few may doubt. He has completed one year in office with a performance that can be rated quite good, considering the fact that they he has to evolve a consensus amongst the allies on all issues. With his abundant wisdom and humility, he will be able to convince the allies, that all matters that are in the greater interest of the nation, attain a much higher pedestal than the mundane things that suit or confront the interests of the political parties. In fact, it is an opportunity for the Congress and the allies, both, to bring peace and prosperity to its teeming millions. Also the Left does take cognizance of the fact that this time they have received an unprecedented mandate which they cannot afford to let go unharnessed. They need to nurse their core constituencies with welfare measures, for which the time is now. It is necessary for the coalition partners to rise above the practiced schools of thought to ensure that social harmony and economic development is first achieved, so that the rest of the things could fall in place. A sense of great responsibility lies on the shoulders of the Left leaders, whose acknowledged meticulous homework on measures of poverty alleviation and more, will come as extremely valuable inputs for the Prime Minister to weave those along with his masterly envisions. A galaxy of leaders as the likes of Prakash Karat, Sita Ram Yechuri, AB Bardhan and others from the Left have a strong academic and political background to bring in rich inputs.

A reluctant progeny of politics, Sonia Gandhi has carved out a niche for herself in history by renouncing the most legitimate and well-earned offer of her occupying the highest office in the world’s largest democracy of a billion people. Never has it happened earlier in India. If it did once earlier in 1991, it was again Sonia Gandhi, who was in a state of utter grief and was in no position to even ponder over it.

What a pity then, that, instead of being proud of a citizen like her, we have tried to dig anomalies that we never actually could. The pains she took to imbibe each little thing here has been colossal. She has adapted herself into the Indian cultural fabric much better than many of the born Indians. Even if you wish to, for a while, forget our cherished philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, can we however, forget all the established principles outlining civic courtesy in a society that we dwell? We have been extremely rude to this philanthrophe, an enumeration of whose personal initiatives itself, for the cause of the downtrodden and the needy, runs into reams and reams, and which will put to shame most of the ‘leaders’ today, who have not been willing to even reach reprieve to the suffering people from the government’s earmarked resources that they have been sitting over!

Sonia’s determination to succeed in her mission of fostering a strong foundation for secularism and emancipating lives of the underprivileged is not marred by any personal attacks on her. The mission to fulfill Rajiv’s vision is still carried forward with missionary zeal.

A strong resolute was more than evident in her when she embarked on her ‘Jan Sampark Abhiyaan’ in December 2003. The response she received from her people was so overwhelming that a section of the opposition accelerated its campaign against her on the ‘foreign origin’ issue, which had no sanctity, having been dismissed by the Supreme Court in 1999.

In continuation to her resurrection spree of the Congress fortunes right since 1998-99 which saw her take the tally of states governed by Congress to 15 at one point of time, she almost single-handedly campaigned for the Congress in the General Elections 2004, traversing more than 63,000 kms and addressing public rallies in some 60 constituencies, out of which the Congress won 51. While she was the only nation-wide campaigner for the Congress, on the BJP side there were quite a few, and no one in that camp came up with a success rate anywhere close to what she achieved. Had the elections been held as per schedule in about October 2004, Sonia would have had enough time to cover a majority of constituencies as the Congress’ star campaigner towards a proper consolidation, but the BJP sprung a surprise by calling elections much earlier, thereby disallowing the vital time to the solitary national campaigner. If the success rate of the Congress returning victorious in constituencies campaigned by Ms Gandhi is any indication, then, Congress by itself crossing the 300-mark, was a matter of no surprise.