Many a reputed foreign magazines have elected and put Sonia as one of the most powerful women of the world. I wonder if she is one of the happiest one too. In normal course, she would have been one with her two children- a beautiful daughter and a young son. But the task of heading one of the two major political parties of a country of billion plus populations with infinite number of diversity must be killing for her. In her moment of solitude, she must be finding herself very much helpless, totally agonized and tormented.

Perhaps, her denunciation of the primeministership in 2004 was her first mistake. With a party that wishes to have only a member of Nehru as head, it was still a poor decision. Even if she wished she couldn’t give total autonomy to Man Mohan, as many feels she has been wrong. If she had done, her party men would have disintegrated. As many of the power seekers could access her, the system is working. But this system of informal governance can’t give the result expected today. Expectations of people have gone high. It requires accountability of governances for providing the expected best response time for delivery. The model created by her emotional zeal in 2004 has failed.

Jemima Khan, the glamorous ex-wife of Pakistan’s cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, might have a deep fascination for rising India and may adore Sonia Gandhi and wonder about the political future of her children Rahul and Priyanka. But it can hardly make Sonia happy. With her preference for Rahul over Priyanka, she followed the traditional inheritance system. But will the transition from Sonia to Rahul be so smooth and a source of happiness for Sonia as well as Rahul? For instance, when Rahul becomes the prime minister, will he like to operate as Man Mohan who has been clearly subordinating to Sonia? And for a moment think of a married Rahul. Will the wife of Rahul be having the same wavelength with Sonia that Sonia maintained with Indira Gandhi?

The controversial Indo-US Nuclear Deal is one example of her many issues to torment. What should she do is the question for her? She is the only who could have helped Man Mohan Singh and saved the Deal that has support of almost all outside the politics in India, be it Barjesh Misra, K. Subramamanayam, Meghnad Desai, or RK Pachouri. US and it leadership, be it Bush or Obama or McCain, was never so eager to assist India. And let Sonia Gandhi understand that it is not because of leftists assisted UPA. USA is bending forward for the rising and unstoppable India of billion plus people and not one of Karat or Yachuri. Pranab Mukherji has tried his bets to sell it to leftists. National security adviser MK Narayanan tried to appeal too. But Prakash Karat is the boss and he is as tough (and even rough) as Mao with his how-does-it-matter mindset. Even the news of almost all nuclear plants running below capacity, the Chinese collusion with Pakistan, and its prickly incursions on the border, hardly disturb the leftists. Naturally, the leaders of other smaller parties, regional in nature hardly wish to go against the cat with the required vengeance. Why should they? The fear of early election and the lack of confidence to face the people are deterrents. Can Sonia be apolitical and favour Man Mohan? It will be only her physical and personal performance that will be on test in he next election. Does she like the situation year after year, though that may be her own creation? Why could not she create the second line of political leaders that can win election for her? Why does she want as mother only her son to succeed her instead of allowing the bests in billion to come in forefront? Can she depend on Rahul (or Priyanka) to take off her burden? How much unhappy she may be finding herself sometimes with the pressure of leftists on hand and none to take on them? How miserable she must be finding herself with the party infighting, sometimes even the violent one even in her presence? Can she enjoy such an incident? Doesn’t she get extremely unhappy? Will she be able to take a decision in favour of the Deal even after some allied parties supporting it?

Sonia’s stand on the Deal is the manifestation of her confidence in the issue of national priorities over short-term politics. More than anyone else Sonia Gandhi is on test. And this must be making her the unhappiest woman of the world, if she is even minimally emotional at heart.