NEW DELHI: Making her debut on X, Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi teased her upcoming biography ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’. In a video post she recalled her first meeting with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi , sharing how they met at a Greek restaurant in England while they were students.
Recalling her search for Italian food in England, Sonia Gandhi said she eventually discovered a Greek restaurant frequented by European and Indian students, where she first met Rajiv Gandhi.
“And then we discovered this place. It was a Greek restaurant where many students, especially European students, but also Indian students used to go for their meals,” she said.
“And that is then where I met Rajiv in that very restaurant. When I first met him, I felt almost immediately that, you know, he was someone I would really love to be with. And of course, I learned that it was the same for him,” she added.
She recalled that a common friend introduced them, after which they became friends and began attending parties and visiting places together.
“I remember when I first met him, a friend, a common friend, introduced us. Then, you know, we became friends. Then going to parties with friends, or going to see sights, or… We went to a Valentine party where there were lots of students,” she said.
Describing her first impression of Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi said his gentle nature had particularly struck her.
“He was a very gentle-looking person. Of course, he was very good-looking. But that gentleness came through. So that was something which really touched me and struck me. So that, of course, I’ll never forget when I first met him,” she said.
Sonia Gandhi married Rajiv Gandhi on February 25, 1968.
