Imposing Emergency a mistake, even Indira came to feel the same: Sonia Gandhi

Sonia Gandhi has stated that the decision to impose the Emergency in 1975 was a mistake, and she believes her mother-in-law, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, eventually came to feel the same. In an interview with The Guardian, ahead of her memoir's launch, Gandhi expressed that she felt compassion for her mother-in-law, who she believed was never truly comfortable during the Emergency.

The Congress leader acknowledged that the family had differing opinions on the matter, with Rajiv Gandhi firmly opposing the move, urging his mother to wait for the next election, while her younger son, Sanjay, was in favor. Gandhi also noted that there were few allies around her mother-in-law, as Rajiv was the only one with a contrasting viewpoint.

She attributed the Emergency's implementation to pressure from senior colleagues, and claimed that most people around Indira were of the same opinion. Despite the constitutionally suspended democratic rights, including habeas corpus, Gandhi maintained that the period was marked by a deteriorating situation, as she understood it retrospectively.

She acknowledged that Mrs. Gandhi was struggling to cope with the rapidly worsening circumstances, and that hindsight allows for a more balanced perspective. Gandhi also recognized that her own party's failures contributed to the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party and its Hindutva politics.