Gandhis Step Back Into Political Fray Slain Prime Minister’s Widow, Children May Run For Office

In a move that her supporters hope will shape Indian politics for years to come, Sonia Gandhi, widow of one assassinated prime minister and daughter-in-law of another, made an emotional entry into public life Sunday.

“The time has come when I feel compelled to put aside my personal feelings and step forward,” the Italian-born Gandhi told tens of thousands of jubilant supporters at a rally in this south Indian town, where her husband was slain. “My devotion to our country and her people is unwavering and absolute.”

Although she did not say that she would seek office herself, the crowd responded to her speech with cries of “Prime Minister Sonia!”

Gandhi’s decision to join the political fray upset all calculations about the outcome of the national election that is to be conducted on four successive weekends in February and March. It electrified the long-dominant Congress Party, which her family has run for more than half a century but which has recently suffered defections and other setbacks.

Sunday’s speech was also a statement by the Gandhi family that it is determined not to fade from the forefront of Indian politics. There was widespread speculation not only that Sonia Gandhi would seek the prime minister’s job but also that her daughter Priyanka and perhaps her son, Rahul, might run for Parliament.

The Gandhis have been one of the 20th century’s most resilient political dynasties. They are not related to Mohandas K. Gandhi, the founder of modern India, but trace their political lineage back to the country’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who took office in 1947 and served until his death in 1964.

Nehru’s daughter, Indira Gandhi, became prime minister in 1966 and served, with a two-year interruption, until her assassination in 1984. Her son Rajiv succeeded her and held office for four years. He was campaigning for a return to power in 1991 when he was killed.

Sonia Gandhi chose Sriperumbudur to make her first political speech because it was here that her husband was assassinated by Tamil militants angered by India’s efforts to mediate in the war between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil separatists.

A Roman Catholic, Gandhi said she is committed to secularism and wants to conciliate this country’s many ethnic, religious and social groups.

“We do not want our society to be broken into factions,” she said. “… We prize our diversity.”