Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s life and political journey are set to be adapted for the big screen in a Telugu feature film based on her autobiography, Belonging: A Journey of Love.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee Working President Jagga Reddy announced the project at a meeting of Congress workers in Sangareddy on Thursday, according to ANI. He sought financial support from party workers, proposed a committee to begin production work and outlined the stages of Sonia Gandhi’s personal and political life that the film is expected to cover.
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Jagga Reddy appealed to Congress leaders and workers from the Sangareddy constituency to contribute to the film’s production. Constituency Congress convenor Julakanti Anjaneyulu pledged Rs 2 crore for the project.
Reddy proposed forming a 50-member committee to oversee the initial production work. Gandhi Bhavan Public Relations Officer Hariprasad will supervise the committee’s activities.
Urging party workers to pool their resources and secure a suitable budget, Reddy said: “You spend on elections, right? Consider this a similar expense. Let’s mobilise the budget and select a good director.”
He said Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and TPCC President Mahesh Kumar Goud would be invited to formally launch the shooting once the necessary preparations were completed.
Copies of Sonia Gandhi’s autobiography will also be ordered and distributed among Congress workers. Reddy said this would help them better understand her personal experiences and political journey.
Film to trace personal and political journey
Reddy said the proposed film would explore different stages of Sonia Gandhi’s life, from her association with the Gandhi family to her emergence as a prominent political leader in India.
It is expected to portray her life as Indira Gandhi’s daughter-in-law, Rajiv Gandhi’s wife and the mother of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. The film will also reportedly cover the difficult years following the assassinations of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, the challenges Sonia Gandhi subsequently faced and how she raised her children while handling her political responsibilities.
Reddy said Sonia Gandhi had created a distinct identity for herself in a country with diverse religions, castes and languages.
Highlighting her political experience and career, he said: “Just as deep as the ocean is, so is the political system of the Congress party. Sonia Gandhi studied those politics.”
Decision to decline prime ministership
Reddy also spoke about Sonia Gandhi’s decision to stay away from the Prime Minister’s post despite having opportunities to occupy it.
Recalling the period after Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, he said PV Narasimha Rao became Prime Minister while Sonia Gandhi did not seek the position for herself.
He also referred to the formation of the United Progressive Alliance government, when Congress leaders reportedly wanted Sonia Gandhi to become Prime Minister. She declined and instead backed Manmohan Singh for the post.
Reddy credited Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi with playing an important role in shaping the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, which was introduced to provide employment opportunities in rural areas.
Concluding his address, Reddy said people wanted to see another Prime Minister from the Gandhi family. He added that Sonia Gandhi hoped Rahul Gandhi would take up the country’s top political position, even as Congress workers in Sangareddy began mobilising funds and preparing for the proposed film about her life.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
