New Delhi, Nov 11: The Sonia Gandhi memoir controversy has sparked sharp political reactions. BJP and Shiv Sena leaders have criticised the book and questioned her account of several historical events.
BJP leaders accused the Congress veteran of attempting to whitewash the party’s past actions. They also alleged that she had shifted responsibility for controversial episodes onto people who are no longer alive.
Some leaders questioned the timing of the memoir. They suggested that its references to Punjab and Operation Blue Star could carry political implications ahead of the state Assembly elections.
BJP Accuses Sonia Gandhi of Whitewashing Congress Legacy
Reacting to the memoir in Delhi, BJP National Spokesperson R.P. Singh accused Sonia Gandhi of distancing 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.
His remarks came amid a wider debate over the memoir’s references to major events in India’s political history. These include the Emergency and Operation Blue Star.
Bihar BJP President Sanjay Saraogi also criticised Sonia Gandhi. He was responding to her reported remarks about 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.
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Shaina NC Questions Sonia Gandhi’s Stand on Women’s Issues
Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC questioned the memoir’s coverage of women’s issues. She also raised questions about Sonia Gandhi and the Congress party’s role in advancing women’s political representation.
Speaking to IANS, Shaina said the book discussed Sonia Gandhi’s personal journey and experiences. However, she argued that 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’s grief after viewing footage and photographs of the aftermath of Operation Blue Star. The memoir reportedly refers to this emotional reaction.
She said major historical events could not remain merely personal reflections. These included the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the Emergency and Operation Blue Star.
“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.
Shaina described Sonia Gandhi as a senior leader and said she did not intend to disrespect her. However, she questioned what concrete action had followed the grief described 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.
Ram Kadam Questions Memoir’s References to Operation Blue Star
BJP MLA Ram Kadam also launched a sharp attack on Sonia Gandhi. He questioned her references to religious leaders attending Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s oath-taking ceremony.
Speaking to IANS, Kadam questioned the memoir’s emphasis on Sonia Gandhi’s connection with India. He also 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 Rajiv Gandhi in 1968. He questioned her subsequent acquisition of Indian citizenship and used the issue to challenge her commitment to the country.
Kadam further alleged that the memoir’s references to Operation Blue Star and Punjab were politically motivated. He claimed they aimed to gain 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 Indira Gandhi’s emotional reaction to Operation Blue Star had not appeared publicly 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.
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JD(U) Leader Says Expectations From Memoir Are Fading
Meanwhile, JD(U) National Spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan said public expectations surrounding the much-discussed memoir appeared to be fading.
He said readers had expected Sonia Gandhi to offer insights into lesser-known aspects of India’s political and historical journey. Ranjan referred to her association with the Nehru-Gandhi family and her long political career in India.
“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.
—IANS
