From Sonia Gandhi's 'cold fury' to love for karelas: Close aide shares intimate details

For more than a decade, Archana Dalmiya served as the person in charge of the Grievance Cell of the Congress Party. The  position was apolitical but allowed her to witness Sonia Gandhi up close and personal. In her first interview, Archana  talks about her association with Sonia. She makes pertinent remarks about Sonia Gandhi’s unknown side which makes her an  enigmatic politician.

Q: Is there another side to Sonia Gandhi’s persona?

A: She is a very soft person which is rarely seen in public. She puts up this appearance as a very strong political person  but there is side to her which is soft and kind. I have seen lot of that. For example, there was construction taking place at her residence during winters. She saw unclad kids, she immediately asked for shawls and clothes to be provided to them.

Q: Is it correct that certain traditions in her household continue from Indira Gandhi’s time?

A: It is correct. You can see it from the way she dresses. She is meticulous. Her choice of clothes is handloom which has  again comes down from Indira Gandhi. Indira would also wear traditional clothes. I have never seen her in chiffons or  machine-made clothes. She appreciates handloom of every state. Whether it is Ekats, Kanjivaramas or Patolas, her saris are  handpicked and mostly handlooms. She is very detailed in her way of dressing which she picked up from Indira Gandhi. All traditions continue as same.

Q: Lot of people who have worked closely with her talk about her cold fury. What it is like to be at the receiving end?

A: Yes, but she never lets her guard down. Even if she is angry there would be moments of coldness but she will not hold  the grudge for long and would return to normal soon. Yes, she can be cold and unresponsive and would not talk to that  person and not give an appointment to him or her which is one way of her showing that she is angry. I had been at the  receiving end myself. So, when she is angry, she denies accessibility but seldom lose her temper. She would tell the person  as to what has upset her.

Q: What did you do to invite cold fury?

A: I don’t know. May be, I didn’t do something which was expected of me. It was all connected with the Grievance Cell. It’s  like she expected me to report back to her which I didn’t do and handled it on my own. There used to be so many cases which had to be dealt and may be, I slipped on that.

Q: What is her routine these days?

A: I don’t want to go into details. She has recently been on a holiday where she was seen absolutely carefree riding a  cycle or standing in queue for a dosa. She reads a lot and watches less of TV. Reading is one of her stress busters.

Q: What does private Sonia look like?

A: Off course, her personality as a leader is different than that of a person with friends and children. There is lot of  difference but on the whole, she is a pretty friendly person and once she gets to know you, she is very open. She can talk  about regular mundane things. One day sitting at a function with my sister she started talking about Karvachauth. She was  telling her about how Priyanka keeps Karvachauth for her husband. There are lot of shades to her. There is a very decent  and dignified side to her. She is a perfect host. I do remember, in one of the parties she hosted for Iftar she would go to  every single table and sit with them for some time and then move on. Everyone would leave her residence with the feeling  that everyone had got bit of Sonia Gandhi.

Q: Is she a picky eater?

A: No, she likes Indian food but she is very fond of jalebi and gulab jamun. She has this fondness for karelas and enjoys  pickles.

Q: Has Sonia Gandhi changed over the years?

A: She has evolved a lot as a person. I don’t think that she let little things trouble or disturb her. She is evolved in  the sense that she takes everything in a stride and have become very easy with people. She sends a very clear message in  terms of what she wants. She is a person of few words but manages to convey what she wants done.

Q: Does Sonia Gandhi takes no for an answer?

A:  I don’t think anyone gives her no for an answer. If she sees a point of view, she agrees. She isn’t rigid in the rigid sense of the word.

Q: She is known for her political and social correctness. Can you elaborate on it?

A: She is very courteous. There was a march organized by the Congress towards Parliament and Dr Mannohan Singh was with  her. Dr Singh is frail. I saw her guiding him through the crowd, almost protecting him to an extent that she was keeping  the crowd away with her own arms. She is frail herself but came across as a woman who ensured that Dr Manmohan Singh did  not get the hard end of the crowd.

Q:  Is she very combative?

A: She is a sure person. She is a consensus maker. She studies her subject very well before she speaks. She is open to  ideas but she has her own view.

Q: What else is keeping her busy?

A: Off late, she is not meeting lot of people these days.  

Q: Do you miss an active Sonia Gandhi?

A: Off course but I think it is time for a change because new generation will relate more to Rahul Gandhi than with Sonia  Gandhi. There has to be a generation shift. It has happened for good. I must say that she is head and shoulders above any politician I have met. She is different.

Q: Does she write notes?

A: She does write notes. She meets so many people, she writes comments related to them or for referral but she does send  notes to people.