Sonia Gandhi’s autobiography, Belonging: A Journey of Love, is set to be adapted into a Telugu feature film chronicling her personal and political journey after it hit shelves on November 10. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Working President Jagga Reddy announced the proposed project on Thursday.

The film will trace Sonia Gandhi’s life as the daughter-in-law of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, wife of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, and mother of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. It will also portray the family’s grief following the assassinations of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, the challenges Sonia faced in their aftermath, her efforts to raise her children and her eventual entry into politics.

‘Consider This As An Election Expense’

Speaking at a meeting with Congress leaders from the Sangareddy constituency, Jagga urged party workers to contribute towards financing the project. He said the next step would be to pool the funds and bring a good director on board.

“You spend on elections, right? Consider this a similar expense. Let’s mobilise the budget and select a good director,” he told party workers.

Jagga has also proposed forming a 50-member committee to oversee the initial preparations, to be supervised by Hariprasad, the public relations officer at Gandhi Bhavan.

Once the arrangements are finalised, CM Revanth Reddy and TPCC President Mahesh Kumar Goud will be invited to inaugurate the film’s shoot. Sangareddy constituency convenor Julakanti Anjaneyulu has pledged Rs 2 crore towards the project.

Copies Of Book To Be Distributed Among Party Workers

Jagga also announced plans to purchase copies of Sonia Gandhi’s autobiography and distribute them among Congress workers to help them understand her life, experiences and political journey.

He further recalled that Sonia Gandhi had never sought the Prime Minister's post. Following Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, she did not stake a claim to the position when PV Narasimha Rao became Prime Minister.

Jagga also said that when the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) came to power, several Congress leaders urged Sonia Gandhi to take up the top post. However, she declined the offer and chose Manmohan Singh for the position instead. 

He further claimed that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) emerged from ideas put forward by Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi.

Jaga also said that many people hoped to see another member of the Gandhi family become Prime Minister, and that Sonia herself wished to see Rahul hold the country’s top political office.