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Sonia Gandhi Recounts Rahul's Premonition Before Rajiv's Assassination

In her memoir, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi describes a poignant moment when young Rahul Gandhi appeared to sense his father's impending fate ahead of the 1991 assassination.

LSN India · 10 November 2026

Sonia Gandhi has opened up about a haunting incident from the days leading up to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, revealing details in her recently published memoir. The Congress patriarch's widow recalls a moment involving their son Rahul, who at the time was a child, making a cryptic remark that in hindsight appears eerily prescient.

According to Gandhi's account, young Rahul made a statement suggesting he sensed something tragic was about to unfold, telling his mother he would need to attend his father's funeral. The comment stands as a troubling premonition given that Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on May 21, 1991, during an election campaign in Tamil Nadu.

The memoir provides a rare glimpse into the personal toll the tragedy exacted on the Gandhi family during one of independent India's most turbulent political periods. Sonia Gandhi's account sheds light on the private moments and emotional undercurrents surrounding the assassination, offering readers an intimate perspective on how the family members navigated the shock and grief.

Rajiv Gandhi, who served as India's youngest Prime Minister, was killed in a suicide bombing carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during an election rally in Sriperumbudur. The assassination marked a defining moment in contemporary Indian history and its reverberations continue to shape national politics.