NEW DELHI (AFP) — Sonia Gandhi -- considered India's most powerful politician -- on Friday celebrated her 10th year as chief of the ruling Congress party, surrounded by supporters crying, "Long live Sonia."
Italian-born Gandhi, who arrived in India as a shy bride in her early 20s to emerge as political kingmaker, marked the anniversary at her sprawling bungalow residence in the heart of the Indian capital.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a quiet economist vaulted to power when Gandhi refused the premier's job after leading Congress to an upset win in the 2004 elections, led the congratulations.
But with just over a year before the next general elections, many are unsure whether Gandhi will be able to take Congress to victory again following a string of setbacks for the party in state polls.
"She has positioned it better through making alliances... but whether she can carry it forward is still unclear," said analyst Mahesh Rangarajan.
Singh -- a staunch Gandhi family loyalist -- presented a fine cream paisley shawl to Gandhi, viewed as torchbearer of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty which has given India three premiers.
Although Singh is prime minister, Gandhi -- who casts herself as "a reluctant politician" -- is widely seen by analysts as calling the shots.
Gandhi, named by Forbes Magazine in 2007 as the world's sixth most powerful woman, has "managed to retain power without acquiring the burden of office," said Prabhu Chawla, editor of news magazine Indian Today.
Gandhi, a youthful 61 whose dark brown hair only now shows streaks of grey, took over the party's reins when it faced "drift and despondency," said foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee, one of her many well-wishers.
Sonia, who has held the Congress chief's job for the longest time in the party's 122-year history, was thrust into the limelight after her husband, former premier Rajiv Gandhi, was killed by a suicide bomber in 1991.
Her son Rahul, whom she is regarded as grooming for the prime minister's job, was also on hand as party workers danced to drums and distributed sweets.
The Congress leader, daughter of an Italian builder, met her husband in Cambridge where he was studying at the university and she was studying English. Since her marriage, she has been transformed into a sari-clad Indian who speaks fluent if accented Hindi.
Her years in the Gandhi household, when her strong-willed autocratic mother-in-law Indira, slain in 1984 by her Sikh bodgyards, was premier gave her an intimate insight into India's turbulent politics.
The once-mighty Congress's fortunes were on the skids when party workers implored Gandhi to take over the reins.
"She gave a dispirited party a sense of confidence," said analyst Rangarajan.
Observers say Gandhi showed great grit in overcoming taunts about her foreign origins -- the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janta Party called her a "foreign doll."
Son Rahul, whose square-jawed looks give him a powerful resemblance to his father, was recently named to a top party post as general secretary in charge of youth, a crucial job with two-thirds of India's population under 35.
The history and aura of the family is so great many in the party cannot conceive of a future without a Gandhi in charge.
But Rahul, a wooden speaker who has been a disappointment on the hustings, must prove himself if he wants to become India's next leader, Sonia said recently.
"It's accurate that if you have a family whose earlier generations have been in politics it gives you a head start," she said.
"But India is a democracy... You may have an advantage at the beginning but you have to work hard to prove yourself."
Source: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5g8-6RP3T44fX5UvaXdZBtFkVKvNw
Italian-born Gandhi, who arrived in India as a shy bride in her early 20s to emerge as political kingmaker, marked the anniversary at her sprawling bungalow residence in the heart of the Indian capital.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a quiet economist vaulted to power when Gandhi refused the premier's job after leading Congress to an upset win in the 2004 elections, led the congratulations.
But with just over a year before the next general elections, many are unsure whether Gandhi will be able to take Congress to victory again following a string of setbacks for the party in state polls.
"She has positioned it better through making alliances... but whether she can carry it forward is still unclear," said analyst Mahesh Rangarajan.
Singh -- a staunch Gandhi family loyalist -- presented a fine cream paisley shawl to Gandhi, viewed as torchbearer of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty which has given India three premiers.
Although Singh is prime minister, Gandhi -- who casts herself as "a reluctant politician" -- is widely seen by analysts as calling the shots.
Gandhi, named by Forbes Magazine in 2007 as the world's sixth most powerful woman, has "managed to retain power without acquiring the burden of office," said Prabhu Chawla, editor of news magazine Indian Today.
Gandhi, a youthful 61 whose dark brown hair only now shows streaks of grey, took over the party's reins when it faced "drift and despondency," said foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee, one of her many well-wishers.
Sonia, who has held the Congress chief's job for the longest time in the party's 122-year history, was thrust into the limelight after her husband, former premier Rajiv Gandhi, was killed by a suicide bomber in 1991.
Her son Rahul, whom she is regarded as grooming for the prime minister's job, was also on hand as party workers danced to drums and distributed sweets.
The Congress leader, daughter of an Italian builder, met her husband in Cambridge where he was studying at the university and she was studying English. Since her marriage, she has been transformed into a sari-clad Indian who speaks fluent if accented Hindi.
Her years in the Gandhi household, when her strong-willed autocratic mother-in-law Indira, slain in 1984 by her Sikh bodgyards, was premier gave her an intimate insight into India's turbulent politics.
The once-mighty Congress's fortunes were on the skids when party workers implored Gandhi to take over the reins.
"She gave a dispirited party a sense of confidence," said analyst Rangarajan.
Observers say Gandhi showed great grit in overcoming taunts about her foreign origins -- the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janta Party called her a "foreign doll."
Son Rahul, whose square-jawed looks give him a powerful resemblance to his father, was recently named to a top party post as general secretary in charge of youth, a crucial job with two-thirds of India's population under 35.
The history and aura of the family is so great many in the party cannot conceive of a future without a Gandhi in charge.
But Rahul, a wooden speaker who has been a disappointment on the hustings, must prove himself if he wants to become India's next leader, Sonia said recently.
"It's accurate that if you have a family whose earlier generations have been in politics it gives you a head start," she said.
"But India is a democracy... You may have an advantage at the beginning but you have to work hard to prove yourself."
Source: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5g8-6RP3T44fX5UvaXdZBtFkVKvNw
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