Sonia Gandhi Releases Belonging as Memoir Reopens Disputes Over Congress History

Sonia Gandhi presents Belonging: A Journey of Love as a personal account rather than a political book. Ahead of its release, she explained that distinction in coverage by NDTV, which identified HarperCollins India as its publisher.

The memoir traces a life shaped by marriage, family and bereavement. The Guardian described an account spanning the assassinations of her husband and mother-in-law, alongside India's political changes. The BBC characterised it as a deeply personal defence of her family and its legacy.

On November 7, the publication dispute became part of the story. According to The New Indian Express, Gandhi said Penguin had been uneasy with criticism of the government. The Times of India reported her dismay over Penguin Random House India's decision to withdraw her memoir, citing disagreements over sensitive subjects involving Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Those reports describe Gandhi's account of the disagreement.

The same day, India Today reported her description of the Emergency as a mistake and her assessment that Sanjay Gandhi added to the damage. That account placed the book's treatment of Congress history at the centre of the emerging debate.

On November 8, NDTV reported that HarperCollins India would release the memoir in India on November 10, ending uncertainty over domestic publication after an impasse between the author's representatives and Penguin.

On November 9, another passage drew objections. NDTV reported Gandhi's recollection of Indira Gandhi's tears over Operation Bluestar. Shiromani Akali Dal spokesperson Arshdeep Singh Kler challenged the expression of anguish, describing the operation as a direct attack on the Sikh community and Sri Akal Takht Sahib.

The book was released on November 10, according to Deutsche Welle. India Today reported BJP accusations that its accounts of the Emergency and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots whitewashed history. Separately, The Indian Express highlighted Gandhi's account of her conflicting feelings about becoming prime minister and her longing for Rajiv Gandhi's presence.

By November 11, scrutiny extended beyond political interpretation. India Today questioned the book's fact-checking, pointing to its reference to "President R.K. Narayan." Meanwhile, The Times of India reported Ravi Shankar Prasad's criticism concerning the Babri demolition, the 1984 riots and Godhra.

The memoir is now available, and The Hindu reported readers snapping up copies on release day. Its personal disclosures are receiving attention alongside the political arguments. Mint, for example, reported Gandhi's account of losing her first child in 1969 and opposing the proposed traditional last rites.

The central disagreement is over how to read the book: Gandhi describes a personal story, while critics challenge its treatment of public history. The BJP's whitewashing accusation remains a political claim, not an established finding. The supplied coverage records those objections but does not resolve the disputed historical accounts.