India’s Sonia Gandhi undergoes surgery in US

Sonia Gandhi, the head of India's oldest political party and matriarch of a dynasty that has produced three prime ministers, is recovering from surgery for an undisclosed ailment in a U.S. hospital, according to various reports.

Gandhi tapped her son, Rahul, to lead the party in her absence, in what some Indian papers interpreted as the clearest sign yet of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty scion's likely run for the prime minister's post in 2014.  However, the three other leaders whom Gandhi chose to lead the Congress along with him came as a surprise, as she passed over Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other top government officials in favor of three long-time loyalists.

Party spokesmen said the decision was not intended as a slight to Singh or other leaders like Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister P. Chidambaram.  Rather, Gandhi purposefully chose party members without major government responsibilities so the administration of party affairs would not take away from the business of governing the nation.

Gandhi's impending surgery had not been announced, and the party has not provided any details about her illness or the type of surgery she has undergone.  The hospital and other details were also kept secret for security reasons, though it is now known that Gandhi's surgery was performed at New York's Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center — which provides some clue as to the nature of her illness.  

India's Hindustan Times quoted party sources as saying that she was suffering from an "abdomen-related" ailment.

According to the Times of India, Gandhi will be recuperating for two to three weeks, during which time Rahul will act as chief decision maker for the party.  The other three leaders entrusted with party affairs include Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Sonia's political secretary, Ahmed Patel, and another party general secretary, Janardhan Dwivedi.