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COVER STORY NOVEMBER 20, 2026 | The Indian Eye 5

Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa addresses a press conference while holding Jharkhand Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey reads the newly launched memoir in Ranchi
a copy of Sonia Gandhi’s memoir on Thursday (ANI Photo)

recalls her emotional response to the The response from Sonia Gand- her version on record. ecutive power despite having the num-
destruction of the mosque in Decem- hi’s family has been equally direct. Sam Pitroda, chairman of the In- bers to claim it. Critics have questioned
ber 1992. The memoir also touches on Her daughter, Congress MP Priyan- dian Overseas Congress, has also re- the political circumstances surround-
Operation Blue Star, the 1984 military ka Gandhi Vadra, accused the BJP jected the BJP’s attacks. He described ing that decision and the influence she
operation at the Golden Temple, and and RSS of spreading misinformation the memoir as “not a political pam- exercised over the Manmohan Singh
the personal trauma experienced by about her mother for years. “For the phlet or an election document” but government. The memoir is therefore
the Gandhi family. It recalls the assas- whole of my mother’s adult life in In- “an honest journey of a woman who likely to be read through competing
sinations of Indira Gandhi in 1984 and dia, the BJP, RSS and many others came to India out of love, embraced narratives of sacrifice and behind-the-
Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. have said whatever they wanted about the nation with complete dedication, scenes authority.
Beyond these historical episodes, my mother. They have lied, they have and endured monumental personal There is a larger question of po-
the memoir has a contemporary politi- fabricated stories and also invented tragedies”. He said Sonia had written litical memory at stake. The BJP has
cal edge. Sonia Gandhi is sharply criti- stories about her, and she has been about “the pain, the isolation, and the built much of its argument against
cal of the Narendra Modi government quiet,” she said. difficult choices” faced during compli- the Congress around the Emergency,
and the RSS. Priyanka added that her mother cated periods in India’s history. corruption allegations and the party’s
These criticisms help explain had a right to tell her own story. “Now, Her decision to decline the prime handling of communal violence. The
why the publication became conten- she is telling her story, and she has the ministership after the Congress-led Congress, in turn, accuses the BJP of
tious even before its release. The BJP, right to do so.” The statement cap- United Progressive Alliance won the using history selectively while avoiding
meanwhile, has focused on the claim tures the Congress’s central defence: 2004 election is another part of this scrutiny of its own record on minori-
that Sonia is using a personal narrative that Sonia Gandhi has remained contested legacy. For Congress sup- ties, institutions and democratic ac-
to avoid scrutiny of her family’s politi- largely private about her personal ex- porters, it demonstrates restraint and countability. Sonia Gandhi’s memoir
cal record. periences and is now entitled to put a willingness to remain away from ex- has become another arena in which
The Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief these competing versions of India’s
Minister further alleged that the book past are being contested.
was politically motivated and intended Ultimately, the friction is rooted in
to mislead people in Uttar Pradesh the difference between a personal rec-
and across the country. “Instead of ollection and a public historical record.
being by Sonia Gandhi, it has been Sonia Gandhi is entitled to describe
crafted as a political book to mislead the events she witnessed and the emo-
the people of Uttar Pradesh and India. tions she experienced. But when those
But the people of Uttar Pradesh and recollections concern the Emergency,
India completely understand the mis- the 1984 violence, Babri or decisions
deeds of the Congress,” he said. taken by governments led by members
Targeting the Congress over the of her family, they inevitably invite
Emergency, Pathak accused the party scrutiny beyond the private sphere.
of undermining democratic rights to The memoir may help readers un-
retain power and recalled the restric- derstand the woman behind one of In-
tions imposed during the period. “To dia’s most powerful political families.
save its own power, the Congress Party It is unlikely, however, to settle the ar-
declared an Emergency in this coun- guments over that family’s legacy. In-
try for the first time against a High stead, by offering Sonia Gandhi’s ac-
Court ruling, not only suspending civil count of events that remain politically
rights—we remember it well,” he said. unresolved, it has reopened a debate
He further alleged that democ- A woman looking at the copies of ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’, on the launch day of Congress in which neither the Congress nor the
racy activists were subjected to torture leader Sonia Gandhi’s memoir in New Delhi on Tuesday (ANI Photo/Naveen Sharma) BJP appears willing to concede the fi-
during the Emergency. nal word.

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