New Delhi: The decision by then Narasimha Rao government to appeal against a Delhi High court order quashing the Bofors case linking Rajiv Gandhi had deepened Sonia Gandhi’s suspicion over Rao, escalating friction between the two, says veteran Congress leader Margaret Alva.

Ahead of release of her book, Courage and Commitment, which is an account of her chequered political life, Alva said following the decision, she was asked by a furious Sonia whether Rao wanted to send her to jail. Alva, who held various positions in Congress before she was asked to resign in 2008 after her allegations that party tickets were “sold” in the Karnataka Assembly polls, appeared critical of Congress leadership for a “centralised decision-making” system in the party.