Sonia Gandhi Memoir Belonging: Opposition Leader Accused of Distorting Historical Facts

By Aditya Nagar | Updated: Thu, 12 Nov 2026, 11:00 AM (IST)

Sonia Gandhi Latest News: The BJP have levelled the charge that Sonia Gandhi is attempting to bury the Congress party's past misdeeds in her new memoir. The book, Belonging, which is out this week, is being used by the BJP as a political weapon and a spectacle. Congress leaders have said the PM's party is trying to turn the book into a media event.

Sonia Gandhi Memoir Belonging | Memoir Unfolds Congress Leader’s Student Years & More

The memoir covers Sonia's life from her student days in England (where she met her future husband Rajiv) to her position in one of the most powerful political families in the country, which has produced three PMs. Sonia Gandhi is now 79 and has turned down the PM's office in 2004.

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BJP Criticism of Sonia Gandhi Book

Sonia Gandhi memoir whitewashing allegations: Her family has remained in charge of the party which has been in power in India for nearly 55 years since independence in 1947. BJP spokesperson C.R. Kesavan has said in a video statement that the book could have been called 'Whitewashing' rather than 'Belonging' as it appears to be an attempt to 'sugar coat' the historical wrongs of the Nehru-Gandhi family and 'camouflage the cardinal sins' of the Congress party.

Sonia Gandhi on 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots

Sonia Gandhi memoir Belonging: Kesavan refers to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots which erupted following the assassination of then PM Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. Some 3000 people died. Human rights activists allege that the Congress party did nothing and in fact some of its leaders actively helped to organise the violence. Sonia describes the riots in her memoir as a 'tragic and shameful chapter' and says that some of the officials either ignored it or even assisted it.

Sonia Gandhi Book Controversy | Defends Her Late Husband Rajiv Gandhi

Sonia Gandhi memoir Belonging: Sonia does defend her husband Rajiv (who became PM after his mother) from the allegations of involvement, though she does concede that there were failures in leadership and in the delivery of justice. Kesavan also levelled the accusation that Sonia sought to justify and legitimise the Emergency which Indira had declared. The 21-month Emergency of 1975 saw civil liberties suspended, the press censored and opposition leaders jailed and it is one of the most contentious periods in India's history.

Sonia Gandhi Memoir Emergency Comments

Sonia Gandhi memoir Belonging: Sonia says Indira felt more isolated and under political pressure prior to the declaration of the Emergency and that she was never at ease with the decision, though she felt she had no alternative given the state of unrest. Sonia has not replied to the allegations, though in the prologue she refers to it as a "personal memoir, one for which politics is the background, a kind of framework".

Sonia Gandhi Memoir Congress Response

Sonia Gandhi memoir Belonging: A Congress spokesperson declined to comment on Sonia's response. The book has come out as Congress challenges the Modi government over a contested revision of the voter list, with Sonia's son Rahul at the forefront of the campaign. Street protests have been Modi's biggest political hurdle since he came to office in 2014, just before the elections in UP and Punjab next year.

Sonia Gandhi Autobiography | Book Sparks Positive & Negative Feedbacks

Sonia Gandhi memoir Belonging: The book has sparked widespread discussion on social media, with both positive and negative reactions highlighting the country's political divide. The press has widely reported on it, with numerous newspapers publishing extracts from the book on key events over the past 50 years.

After discussions between Sonia's team and Penguin Random House India had failed, the publisher did not respond to media request for comment on the book's reception. On Wednesday, the book (priced at a hefty 1,299 rupees/$14) was number one on Amazon India's bestseller list.

Revelation of Choti Bahu Maneka Gandhi’s Behaviour

Sonia Gandhi memoir Belonging: At 18, Maneka Gandhi became the Gandhi family's younger daughter-in-law. She was married to Sanjay Gandhi, who became a widow after her husband died in a plane crash. In her latest memoir, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love', Sonia Gandhi shared the detailed story of Maneka's entry into her family and what caused the later fallout. According to Sonia, Maneka was a high-spirited and talkative girl full of energy. She was very cheerful. But things turned sour later, after the atmosphere changed.

Gandhi, who was addressed as Bahurani (elder daughter-in-law) recalled in her book that Maneka spoke rudely and used expletives in front of her mother-in-law. Her toxic behaviour even caused a rift between her brothers, Rajiv and Sanjay. In one incident, as revealed in the memoir, on her return from a London visit, Indira Gandhi confronted Maneka Gandhi and gave her a choice: either to refrain or leave the house. Even though Rajiv and Sonia were not present during the altercation, they still could not escape blame.

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