The release of Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi's memoir, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love' has triggered sharp political reactions, with leaders of the BJP and Shiv Sena criticising its contents and questioning her account of several historical events
NEW DELHI — The release of Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi's memoir, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love' has triggered sharp political reactions, with leaders of the BJP and Shiv Sena criticising its contents and questioning her account of several historical events.
BJP leaders alleged that the memoir was an attempt to whitewash the Congress party's past actions and shift responsibility for controversial episodes onto individuals who are no longer alive.
Some leaders also questioned the timing of the book, suggesting that its references to Punjab and 'Operation Blue Star' could have political implications ahead of the state Assembly elections.
Reacting to the memoir in Delhi, BJP National Spokesperson, R.P. Singh, accused Sonia Gandhi of attempting to distance herself from the Congress party's controversial political legacy.
"Sonia Gandhi's book is entirely an attempt to whitewash the sins committed by the Congress. On the issue of the Emergency, she is placing all the blame on Sanjay Gandhi. In all the other incidents she has discussed in the book, she is trying to absolve herself while blaming people who are no longer alive," Singh said.
The BJP spokesperson's remarks came amid a wider political debate over the memoir's references to important events in India's political history, including the Emergency and Operation Blue Star.
Bihar BJP President, Sanjay Saraogi, also criticised Sonia Gandhi over her reported remarks concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to the nation-first principle and the ideological values of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
"Sonia Gandhi questioning the commitment to the nation-first principle of the country's respected and distinguished Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the values of the RSS is utterly ridiculous. The respected Prime Minister and the RSS do not need a certificate of approval from Sonia Gandhi or the Congress party," Saraogi said.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader, Shaina NC, questioned the memoir's coverage of women's issues and the role of Sonia Gandhi and the Congress party in advancing women's political representation.
Speaking to IANS, Shaina NC said that while the memoir discussed Sonia Gandhi's personal journey and experiences, it should also have addressed the concerns and aspirations of women across the country.
"Sonia Gandhi ji, you talk about belonging, but where is the story of India's women? Where is their belonging? Why isn't there a single page for India's daughters? When the Women's Reservation Bill is about to be passed, where was your role in it? Where were your tears? Do you want 33 per cent reservation to be given in the Lok Sabha?" she said.
Shaina also questioned Sonia Gandhi's account of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi experiencing grief after watching footage and photographs showing the aftermath of Operation Blue Star, as mentioned in the memoir.
She said that discussions about major historical events such as the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the Emergency and Operation Blue Star could not be treated merely as personal reflections because they were closely connected to the country's history.
"We respect your book. But when you write about 1984, the Emergency and Operation Blue Star in that book, it no longer remains personal; it becomes the country's history. And when it becomes the country's history, you have to answer a few questions," Shaina said.
Without intending to disrespect Sonia Gandhi, whom she described as a senior leader, Shaina questioned what concrete action had followed the grief expressed in the memoir.
"What did you actually do? History doesn't change through a book. The history is that in 1984, over 3,000 Sikhs in Delhi had tears in their eyes. For these tears, you only apologised; what did you actually do?" she asked.
BJP MLA Ram Kadam also launched a sharp attack on Sonia Gandhi, questioning her references to the presence of religious leaders at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's oath-taking ceremony.
Speaking to IANS, Kadam questioned the memoir's emphasis on Sonia Gandhi's connection with India and raised concerns over the decision to publish the book through a foreign publisher rather than an Indian one.
"The most fundamental thing about Smt Sonia Gandhi's book is her love for India. Look at how she did not publish her book with an Indian publisher. She published it in a foreign country, far away. And what does she write in it? That at the swearing-in ceremony of respected Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sadhus and mahants were present. Was providing them with respectable seating arrangements not part of our cultural values? She is even criticising and raising objections to the fact that they were given respectable seating arrangements. What has happened to your intellect?" Kadam said.
He also referred to Sonia Gandhi's marriage to former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi in 1968 and her subsequent acquisition of Indian citizenship, using the issue to question her commitment to the country.
Kadam further alleged that the memoir's references to Operation Blue Star and Punjab were politically motivated and aimed at gaining public sympathy ahead of the Assembly elections in the state.
"This is not about Sonia Gandhi's book. Fearing a crushing defeat in the Punjab elections, she has written certain things in the book by distorting facts, perhaps to gain the sympathy of the people there," he said.
Kadam also questioned why the account of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's emotional reaction to Operation Blue Star had not been publicly discussed earlier.
"If the late Indira Gandhi had tears in her eyes over Operation Blue Star in Punjab, why did she not mention it herself earlier? Who stopped her? What was the reason, and why did it take Sonia Gandhi 42 years to speak about this?" he said.
Meanwhile, JD(U) National Spokesperson, Rajiv Ranjan, claimed that public expectations surrounding the much-discussed memoir appeared to be fading. He said readers had expected Sonia Gandhi, given her association with the Nehru-Gandhi family and her long political career in India, to offer insights into several lesser-known aspects of the country's political and historical journey.
"People's expectations from this much-discussed book now seem to be fading completely. They had expected that Sonia Gandhi, being Indira Gandhi's daughter-in-law, Rajiv Gandhi's wife and one of the senior-most leaders of the Congress, who has spent a long period in India, would introduce the country and the world to many lesser-known aspects..." Ranjan said.