"I'd Quake In My Seat": Sonia Gandhi On Mother-In-Law Indira Gandhi's Temper

From a staffer who was made to stand in a corner to a party member facing the wall, Indira Gandhi's anger could "freeze them into numbness", Sonia Gandhi wrote in her book.

10 Nov 2026, 06:03 · NDTV

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Sonia Gandhi recalls Indira Gandhi’s temper during her first year in the family
Indira Gandhi's anger could freeze staff and party members into numbness, Sonia Gandhi wrote
Indira Gandhi found relief in domestic chores like sorting photos and saris, she added

What political conflicts triggered Indira Gandhi's legendary temper?
New Delhi:

Congress MP Sonia Gandhi has recalled former prime minister and mother-in-law Indira Gandhi's "explosions of temper," which made her "quake in her seat" - until she got to know her well.

Gandhi, in her 544-page book, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love' - published by HarperCollins India and released today - mentioned her first year as a bride in the Gandhi family.

From a staffer who was made to stand in a corner to a party member facing the wall, Indira Gandhi's anger could "freeze them into numbness", she wrote.

"What I found most alarming was my mother-in-law's occasional explosions of temper. They could freeze the staff into numbness. On one occasion, a member of the staff who had forgotten to remind her of an important appointment, and not for the first time, was made to stand in a corner of the room while others hurriedly passed by, all feeling rather embarrassed," she said.

In another instance, Gandhi said she noticed a "kurta-dhoti-clad individual standing immobile in the corner, staring at the wall".

"I was not yet familiar with who was who in the political pantheon, but the fact that he was within our private space signalled that he must have been a Congress Party senior. I was with Amie Aunty (Amie Crishna) for a good half an hour, and when I walked back, the man in white was still stuck to the wall as ordered by my mother-in-law, I learnt later," she wrote.

Amie Crishna was a senior member of Indira Gandhi's staff.

The Congress MP mentioned that there were instances when Indira Gandhi refused to deal with an "offending individual and ignored them, leaving them in a state of suspense for days".

"She would occasionally flare up at mealtimes, when in Parliament there had been "a particularly unpleasant exchange with the opposition. On one such occasion, she pushed her thali to the other side of the long dining table in a fit of anger. Such outbursts would unsettle me, reminding me of my father's explosions. While I'd feel perturbed and shaken, Rajiv and Sanjay would wait silently for the unpleasant moment to be over," she wrote in the memoir.

Gandhi mentioned that her husband, Rajiv Gandhi, would reassure her that his mother would be all right in no time.

"Don't let yourself get so scared," he told Gandhi, as mentioned in her memoir.

"...But until I got to know her well, I'd quake in my seat. She normally repented her outburst and, in her own way, communicated her regret to whoever had annoyed her. But if a colleague had betrayed her trust, she didn't relent; she'd distance herself and not ever deal with that person again," Gandhi recalled.

According to Gandhi, the former PM would usually find relief in domestic chores, including asking Amie Crishna to bring out boxes of old photographs, which she'd then sort through by date.

"Or she'd take out her saris and with our help arrange them according to their provenance, placing tags on each bundle so that it could be accessed easily. She'd set aside some that she had worn occasionally and were still very wearable and ask us to make separate bundles for various relatives," she said.

The Congress leader said that Indira Gandhi's "tense moments" reduced once she became a grandmother.

"As the children grew up, it was they who'd be sent to get a sense of her 'mood'. A smile or an innocent question from her grandchildren at once melted her; they helped her to relax and provided much contentment to her," Gandhi wrote.

(With inputs from PTI)

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