National Presidenta: Pratibha. Party presidenta: Sonia. Viva donna!

Our arch enemies mounted an attack on her, but it was us they were targeting. Don’t we know that, Mamma, this donna sola, this sole woman, tua figlia, your daughter, had to fight a long and lonely battle for women’s empowerment. Today, our party has a presidenta who is a donna and our nation has a presidenta who is a donna! We are making storia, history, Mamma, storia! No other party on the terra, planet, yes Mamma, in the whole mondo, has had the vision to be as pro-woman as Rajiv’s, Indira’s and Sonia’s party. The whole world looks to the Congress for direzione, direction — and to Us — in this matter. The Congress Party has always believed in women — and Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are but two examples of its interesse, concern, for women. And the Congress will continue to sosternere, support, women. Who knows if all goes well, Priyanka may occupy a high post pretty soon, and our little granddaughter in her time?

See, Mamma, We are no great feminists, but look at the evidence. It needed a donna — my madre-in-law — to win elections for the party in 1971 and it needed a donna to win elections for the party in 2004. We rest our case, Mamma. Let anybody, including the idiotas in the Opposition, challenge this record. We’ll make them remember their grandmothers, as dear Rajiv put it, unki naani (please note, another woman) yaad dila denge. No, Mamma, the Opposition stupidos really need to be taught a lesson. Really! And it will take a woman like your daughter to teach them that lesson! And we’ll do it, that’s a promessa, promise. Viva donna, Mamma, more power to women — especially the woman who happens to be your daughter!

The great unwashed love us too much, Mamma, too much. See, We don’t like sycophancy. But what can we do, Mamma? Some bring cavalio, horses, to dance outside our door; others make posters of Us as Rani ki Jhansi, Mamma (one of them had Rahul as a little baby tied to our back, which we thought was rather sweet). We have shown our displacere, displeasure, against such gestures clearly, but they still continue. Are we to blame for this behaviour? Povero, poor, Rahul. They celebrate his birthday by wearing masks bearing his face and cutting enormous torte, cakes. What can the povero garzone, poor boy, do but accept the adorazione, adoration, with the famous grazia, grace and tolerance of the Nehru-Gandhi famiglia? Some families are born great, others assume greatness, still others have greatness thrust upon them. It’s all three for the Nehru-Gandhis and the gente, people, cannot but acknowledge that, and express their gratitudine. We understand this completely, but sometimes it is such an irritazione, irritation, Mamma, veremente, truly!

Oh Mamma, did I tell you, your two great grand bambini are simply adorable! Everybody exclaims,”che bambini graziosi!” — what cute children! Wish We could spend more time with them instead of those cretinos we have to constantly interact with! As we said in our speech at the Netherlands last month, “Our journey from the placid backwaters of contented domestic life to the maelstrom of public life has not been an easy one”. But do we, as the fiduciario, trustee, of the Nehru-Gandhi legacy have any other choice?

Will write again, Mamma, soon. You take care,

Ti amo, Sonia