Lone Warrior Battling for Husband's Legacy: Women's Bill Evokes Bitter-Sweet Memories for Sonia Gandhi

Sonia Gandhi rarely speaks. But when she does, it’s usually on an issue which is close to her. As the Women’s Reservation Bill comes to a fruition, the Bill as well as Sonia Gandhi have had a long and rocky political journey.

During her speech, the angst was evident as Gandhi said: “Women have often seen themselves losing but in the end, they have been victorious.”

Destiny forced Sonia Gandhi’s hands when she joined active politics years after her husband’s death; when she felt “my party built up by my mother-in-law and husband was falling apart, I realised I couldn’t allow this to happen”.

With this, she became the party president for the longest time. When she wove an alliance and defeated the BJP government in 2004, the smile on her face made it clear that what she said during discussion on the women’s Bill was applicable to her as well. But then the path was rocky as not all her decisions could be implemented because of coalition concerns.

And this is most true of the Women’s Reservation Bill which was passed in Rajya Sabha in 2010 but could not be passed in Lok Sabha as she did not have the support of Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party and many within her own party. The choice was between a Bill and government survival. Gandhi chose the latter and today, this is what has given fodder to the BJP, each time Congress and Sonia Gandhi rush in to take credit for the Bill.

Sonia Gandhi, who rarely intervenes in Parliament proceedings, insisted on speaking on the Bill as she feels strongly about it and it is something her late husband envisaged. But deep inside, there is a remorse that the Bill could not become a reality during her time.

The other Bill, which was her pet project, was the Food Security Bill which was luckier as it was cleared in both Houses. Ironically Sonia Gandhi could not vote for the Bill as she fell ill and had to be rushed to hospital. The Bill was passed in 2013.

As the journey of the women’s Bill moves towards culmination, Sonia Gandhi — despite the failure in her time — is happy that she is a part of this historic moment.