Sonia Gandhi: Modi avoids eye contact, differs from past leaders

The Cliff News | 10 November 2026

Sonia Gandhi, former Congress president, has detailed her limited and formal interactions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, noting a distinct lack of personal engagement and a tendency for him to avoid eye contact. These observations are featured in her new memoir, 'Belonging: A Journey Of Love', which offers a personal perspective on political relationships and contrasting ideologies.

In the book, Gandhi states that despite shared official gatherings, there has been "no real contact" with the Prime Minister since he assumed office more than twelve years ago and entered his third term. She describes their encounters as limited to formal greetings and brief exchanges, a departure from what she perceives as the greater cordiality among leaders in previous eras.

Formal Greetings and Differing Etiquette

Gandhi recounts meeting PM Modi at semi-official events, such as gatherings at the Speaker's chamber at the end of Parliament sessions. "When he comes face-to-face with me, we greet each other with a formal namaste," she writes. However, she observes that the Prime Minister "tends to look away, avoiding eye contact," which she posits is unlike the more open and friendly exchanges seen among leaders across party lines in the past.

Beyond these brief, formal acknowledgements, Gandhi states that they have "never really conversed," with their interactions confined to exchanging formal birthday and New Year greetings. She acknowledges the vast ideological chasm between their worldviews, noting that Modi's conception of India is fundamentally different from her own.

Contrasting Visions for India

Gandhi posits that PM Modi's vision of India is shaped by the ideologies of the RSS, which she believes fosters a "fundamentalism in his faith" where his own faith and culture take precedence. In contrast, her understanding of India has been shaped by her family's principles of liberty and equality for all, embracing a nation of diverse races, cultures, languages, and faiths.

She further elaborates that within Modi's vision, "hierarchy, order, and control are central." Gandhi asserts that her own pursuit has been for "an India against hegemony, an India that stands for inclusiveness, secularism, and social justice," framing their political endeavours as a struggle for distinct national visions, not a personal conflict.

Pathways to Power and Political Discourse

The memoir also touches upon the differing trajectories of their political careers. Gandhi points out that PM Modi's path to politics was markedly different from hers. She also relates to a sense of "discomfort with the ruling elite of our times," an experience she shared when finding political discussions in Delhi detached from the realities of ordinary Indians and the struggles witnessed in her constituency.

Reflecting on Modi's rise, Gandhi suggests that while his origins were from an underprivileged background and he worked his way up within the RSS, his public image may have been meticulously crafted by his public relations team. She notes that in parliamentary discourse, Modi sometimes employs language similar to that used at public rallies, often deriding the opposition in what she describes as a "tirade." The first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, is cited as a particular target of hostility from Modi's party, for establishing India's democratic and secular foundation.

Ideological Underpinnings and Party Agendas

Gandhi links the antipathy towards the Congress party, exemplified by the BJP's stated aim of a "Congress-free India," to the Prime Minister's conditioning by the RSS. She argues that the RSS has instilled in its cadres a commitment to an "exclusionary, hardened version of Hinduism" that has been translated into a political agenda.

She contrasts this with her own understanding of Indian faith, learned from her mother-in-law, which encompasses diverse beliefs and traditions of dissent, embodying a broader spiritual and cultural heritage. Gandhi's upbringing instilled in her the principles of ahimsa and dharma as interpreted by Mahatma Gandhi, fostering her own experiences of acceptance and understanding amidst societal challenges like the caste system.