# Rahul Gandhi recalls Indira Gandhi’s 1982 US ire at Reagan dinner 2026-08-14T14:57:52+00:00 | Politics | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Rahul Gandhi, taking a swipe at PM Modi's 'hug diplomacy', recounted a 1982 White House dinner where his grandmother Indira Gandhi returned furious, telling Sonia Gandhi: 'These Americans take me for a complete fool.' Indira believed First Lady Nancy Reagan had deliberately worn a dress the same colour as her saree. Rahul said a PM must protect the country, not just make friends. The anecdote inadvertently highlighted the turbulent India-US ties under Indira Gandhi. As prime minister in 1966 she felt humiliated by US conditions on wheat aid. Relations hit a low under Nixon, who in 1971 called her an 'old witch' and Kissinger used cruder language, as the US backed Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War. ## Coverage - indiatoday.in Tags: Congress party, India-US relations, Indira Gandhi, Nancy Reagan, Rahul Gandhi, Ronald Reagan Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/rahul-gandhi-recalls-indira-gandhis-1982-us-ire-at-reagan-dinner/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/rahul-gandhi-recalls-indira-gandhis-1982-us-ire-at-reagan-dinner/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.