Rahul Gandhi Warned of Rajiv’s Death Before 1991 Assassination

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has recalled a chilling warning from her son Rahul Gandhi about his father Rajiv Gandhi’s security just two months before the former prime minister was assassinated in May 1991. In her memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, Sonia describes how Rahul had expressed fears that inadequate security arrangements could put his father’s life in danger.

“If something isn’t done about Pa’s security, I know I’ll soon have to come back for his funeral,” Rahul had reportedly told his mother after accompanying Rajiv on a tour. Sonia writes that these words returned to her as she learned about the explosion that killed Rajiv Gandhi at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991.

The memoir revisits the withdrawal of Rajiv Gandhi’s Special Protection Group (SPG) security cover, the family’s desperate attempts to contact him after the explosion and the devastating moments that followed his death. It also provides a personal account of the family’s earlier trauma following the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984.

Rahul Gandhi Warned Sonia About Rajiv Gandhi’s Security

According to Sonia Gandhi’s memoir, Rahul had raised serious concerns about his father’s security arrangements approximately two months before the assassination. Having accompanied Rajiv during a tour, Rahul reportedly became worried about the level of protection available to the former prime minister.

His warning was direct and deeply unsettling. Rahul told Sonia that unless something was done to improve his father’s security, he feared he would soon have to return for Rajiv’s funeral.

Sonia recalls that the words stayed with her. When news of the explosion in Tamil Nadu reached the family on May 21, 1991, Rahul’s earlier warning came back to her with devastating force.

The recollection adds a deeply personal dimension to the questions surrounding Rajiv Gandhi’s security before his assassination. It also highlights the anxiety within the family over the arrangements protecting a former prime minister who continued to remain active in national politics.

Rajiv Gandhi’s SPG Security Cover Was Withdrawn Before His Assassination

One of the significant issues revisited in Sonia Gandhi’s memoir is the withdrawal of Rajiv Gandhi’s Special Protection Group security cover. She writes that the government led by then Prime Minister VP Singh withdrew the specialised protection more than a year before the assassination.

According to her account, a committee had recommended in December that Rajiv Gandhi’s security arrangements should continue unless a fresh threat assessment justified changing them.

However, Sonia says that no such review was conducted before the specialised protection was withdrawn the following month. The SPG cover was replaced with local police protection.

The distinction was important because the SPG provided specialised security arrangements for individuals considered to face serious threats. Replacing that protection with local police arrangements changed the nature of the security available to Rajiv Gandhi.

Sonia’s account suggests that the family remained concerned about the decision. Rahul’s experience during the tour with his father reportedly reinforced those concerns and prompted his warning to his mother.

The memoir revisits these events through Sonia’s personal recollections. Her account raises questions about the security arrangements in place before the assassination, although the details presented in the memoir should be distinguished from any independent official findings about responsibility for the security decisions.

What Happened on May 21, 1991? Sonia Gandhi Recalls the Night

On the evening of May 21, 1991, Sonia Gandhi was at the family’s residence in Delhi. Her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was preparing to attend a friend’s birthday party, while Rahul was studying in the United States.

Sonia recalls that Priyanka suddenly came to her room looking visibly shaken. Although her daughter tried to remain composed, Sonia sensed that something serious had happened.

Priyanka told her about a telephone call reporting a bomb blast, several deaths and the need to travel to Madras, now Chennai. Sonia initially struggled to understand the information, but the fear in her daughter’s voice made her realise that Rajiv Gandhi might be involved.

In the memoir, Sonia writes that it was not simply what Priyanka said but the dread in her voice that made her understand the seriousness of the situation.

The family was suddenly confronted with uncertainty about Rajiv’s condition. Sonia began trying to contact senior Congress leaders and people close to her husband to establish what had happened at Sriperumbudur.

Sonia Gandhi Learns About Rajiv’s Death

As Sonia tried to obtain reliable information, she eventually spoke to a senior political leader identified in the memoir as Mr George. He confirmed that Rajiv Gandhi had died in the explosion.

Sonia describes the moment as overwhelming. She writes that she collapsed into Priyanka’s arms, repeatedly expressing regret that she had not accompanied her husband to Tamil Nadu.

“I should have gone with him,” she cried, according to her recollection in the memoir. Her words capture the shock and helplessness she experienced after receiving confirmation of Rajiv’s death.

The assassination had taken place during Rajiv Gandhi’s election campaign in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. The explosion killed the former prime minister and 14 others, turning an election event into one of the most tragic moments in modern Indian political history.

For Sonia and her children, the news marked the sudden loss of a husband and father. The memoir focuses not only on the political consequences of the assassination but also on the family’s struggle to understand and respond to the tragedy.

Priyanka Gandhi Took Charge of Travel Arrangements

Sonia Gandhi recalls that Priyanka took an active role in organising the family’s journey to Tamil Nadu after learning about the explosion. Despite the emotional shock, she helped manage the immediate arrangements.

One of the most difficult moments involved ensuring that Sonia and other family members could travel on the aircraft bringing Rajiv Gandhi’s remains back to Delhi.

According to Sonia, Priyanka insisted that they be allowed to board the aircraft. Her determination helped the family navigate the practical arrangements at a time when they were dealing with an overwhelming personal loss.

The episode offers a glimpse into Priyanka’s response to the crisis. While Sonia was struggling to process the news, her daughter took responsibility for ensuring that the family could remain together and accompany Rajiv’s remains back to the capital.

Sonia Gandhi Recalls the Painful Moment at AIIMS

After Rajiv Gandhi’s remains were brought to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, Sonia experienced another deeply distressing moment.

She remembered that Rajiv had donated his eyes, following the example of his mother, Indira Gandhi. Wanting his wishes to be respected, Sonia sought to inform the family’s physician, Dr Mathur, about the donation.

However, she was told that there was nothing left to be donated. Sonia writes that the response devastated her.

The recollection reveals how, even in the immediate aftermath of the assassination, Sonia was thinking about her husband’s personal wishes and the possibility of fulfilling them. The response she received added another painful experience to an already traumatic day.

Rahul Gandhi Was in the US When His Father Was Assassinated

Rahul Gandhi was studying in the United States when Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated. The family eventually managed to reach him and inform him about the tragedy.

Sonia recalls that when a friend told Rahul there was bad news, he immediately asked whether his father had died.

“Papa is dead, isn’t he?” Rahul reportedly asked.

The question, as described in the memoir, suggests that Rahul had already feared the worst. His earlier concerns about his father’s security may have shaped how he understood the news when it finally reached him.

After returning, Rahul stood motionless beside his father’s remains, Sonia writes. The moment marked another devastating chapter for the family, which had already experienced the assassination of Indira Gandhi less than seven years earlier.

Sonia Gandhi Also Recalls Pleading With Rajiv Not to Become Prime Minister

The memoir also revisits the family’s trauma following the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. Sonia recalls how she pleaded with Rajiv not to accept the responsibility of becoming prime minister after his mother’s death.

At the time, senior Congress leaders were urging Rajiv Gandhi to take charge following the assassination. Sonia, however, was deeply worried about the danger associated with the country’s highest political office.

The family had already suffered the loss of Sanjay Gandhi, who died in a plane crash in 1980. Having experienced that tragedy, Sonia feared that Rajiv’s entry into national leadership could expose him to further danger.

She recalls telling him, “They will kill you, too,” as she tried to persuade him not to accept the position.

Rajiv nevertheless took the oath of office that evening, becoming India’s youngest prime minister at the age of 40. His decision marked a major turning point in the family’s life and in Indian Politics.

For Sonia, the events of 1984 and 1991 were connected by a recurring fear for the safety of her family. Her memoir describes how political responsibilities repeatedly brought personal risks into their private lives.

How Rajiv Gandhi’s Assassination Changed the Gandhi Family

The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 was not the family’s first experience of sudden political and personal loss. Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984 and Sanjay Gandhi’s death in 1980 had already shaped Sonia’s fears about the safety of those closest to her.

In her recollections, Sonia describes how these events affected her decisions and her understanding of the risks associated with public life. Her concerns about Rajiv’s security were not limited to one particular incident but were part of a longer period of anxiety.

Rahul’s warning before the assassination becomes especially significant in this context. It reflects the concerns shared within the family and the sense of vulnerability Sonia says she experienced as Rajiv continued his political activities.

The memoir also shows how Priyanka and Rahul responded differently to the tragedy. Priyanka helped manage the immediate arrangements in Delhi and Tamil Nadu, while Rahul had to be informed of his father’s death while studying abroad.

What Sonia Gandhi’s Memoir ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’ Reveals

Belonging: A Journey of Love, published by HarperCollins India, traces Sonia Gandhi’s life from her childhood in Italy to her marriage to Rajiv Gandhi and her eventual entry into Indian politics.

The book explores personal and political experiences that shaped her life, including her relationships within the Nehru-Gandhi family, the assassination of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination and the challenges she faced in the years that followed.

Her account of Rahul’s warning and the events of May 21, 1991, offers a personal perspective on a tragedy that profoundly affected Indian politics. Rather than focusing only on the public consequences of Rajiv Gandhi’s death, Sonia describes the fear, confusion and grief experienced by the family.

The memoir also revisits questions surrounding the withdrawal of Rajiv Gandhi’s SPG protection and the family’s concerns about his security before the assassination. These recollections bring renewed attention to the circumstances leading up to his death while presenting Sonia’s personal memories of the events.

A Family’s Warning That Became a Painful Memory

Rahul Gandhi’s reported warning to Sonia about his father’s security remains one of the most striking recollections in the memoir. His fear that he might have to return for his father’s funeral came just two months before Rajiv Gandhi was killed in the Sriperumbudur explosion.

For Sonia, those words became inseparable from the night she learned about the assassination. Her memories of Priyanka’s fear, the desperate attempts to contact Rajiv and Rahul’s reaction after receiving the news reveal the personal devastation behind a major political tragedy.

Through Belonging: A Journey of Love, Sonia Gandhi revisits the events that changed her family’s life and shaped her own journey. Her account offers a deeply personal perspective on the security concerns, political decisions and family losses surrounding Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination.