What are the qualities in Sonia Gandhi's personality that have given her success?
I think the quality that gave Narasimha Rao his success. The centre of his political skill was namely: Keep your mouth shut as long as you can!
These last four years, do you find that she has made a statement that she is fit to rule India?
Yes. She has shown that. She has been one up on a few Congress leaders who has some political base worth the name.
Do you think the essence of her politics is her personality that rotates around her projection of the image that she is pro-aam aadmi.
No. The image projection can change. She is doing this at the moment. This is the tune she has to sing at this moment. Tomorrow she may speak about walking with the rest of the world, more globalisation and more liberalisation. I don't go by these kind of ideological postures.
Politically, she has to project this because she thinks that the other part of the story is being done well by Prime Minister Singh's actions rather than his speech.
Is she a believer in the status quo? Isn't her politics all about keeping the status quo?
That can be. The status quo ensures that those who are trying to take the Indian political economy in one direction can go on doing that. That is the status quo. The status quo in a time like this is loaded in favour of economic liberalisation. She won't see it as the status quo. She will term it as reforms and progress.
How do you see future of her politics?
That is very difficult to say. Because, the future of her politics at one plane is nothing more than keeping power within the family. After all, it is only the family that matters. It is difficult to ensure that a charismatic leader will emerge from the family generation after generation.
At the moment, neither Rahul nor Priyanka has that kind of charisma. But then Rajiv Gandhi didn't have it when he became prime minister, but he acquired the charisma. The post and exposure gave him charisma. It may happen again.
Image: Sonia Gandhi with her children Rahul and Priyanka in 2004. Photograph: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images
Also see: The UPA's 10 Commandments
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