New Delhi, Nov 10 — The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday accused Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi of attempting to downplay the Emergency and shield the Nehru-Gandhi family from public scrutiny through her newly released memoir, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love'.
BJP national spokesperson C.R. Kesavan launched a sharp attack on the former Congress president, saying that the book would have been more appropriately titled "Whitewashing".
"Sonia Gandhi could have titled her memoir as 'Whitewashing' instead of 'Belonging', because the motive of this book appears to be sugar-coating the historical wrongs perpetrated by the Nehru-Gandhi family and camouflaging the cardinal sins committed by the Congress party," Kesavan said in a post on X.
The BJP leader's remarks came on the day Gandhi's memoir was released, in which she described the Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Late Indira Gandhi in 1975 as a mistake. She also claimed that she believed her mother-in-law had eventually reached a similar conclusion about the decision.
In her account, Sonia Gandhi further suggested that much of the damage caused during the Emergency could have been avoided had Indira Gandhi exercised greater control over her younger son, Sanjay Gandhi, and kept him "in check".
However, Kesavan dismissed the account, accusing Sonia Gandhi of attempting to "justify and normalise" the Emergency instead of acknowledging the suspension of fundamental rights, restrictions on press freedom and other excesses committed during the period.
The BJP spokesperson also questioned Sonia Gandhi's references to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in her memoir, accusing her of displaying selective concern over incidents of communal violence and terrorism in the country.
"She says she cried for Babri Masjid. Did Sonia Gandhi shed even a drop of tear when gurdwaras were targeted, and thousands of innocent people were violently killed during the 1984 Sikh massacre, which happened during Congress rule?" he asked.
Taking his criticism further, Kesavan referred to the controversy surrounding the Congress leadership's response to the 2008 Batla House encounter and questioned whether Sonia Gandhi had expressed similar concern for security personnel who lost their lives while fighting terrorism.
"Did Sonia Gandhi cry for the innocent lives lost in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, which happened under the Congress government? Will her book answer why the Congress-led UPA government failed to retaliate?" he said.
Kesavan also raised questions about Sonia Gandhi's alleged visit to the residence of former External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh shortly before the release of his autobiography, "One Life Is Not Enough", in 2014. The BJP spokesperson sought to know whether her memoir would shed light on the circumstances surrounding that meeting.
In his autobiography, Natwar Singh had discussed developments surrounding Sonia Gandhi's decision to decline the post of Prime Minister after the Congress emerged as the single largest party in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. According to his account, Sonia Gandhi and her daughter Priyanka Gandhi had met him before the book's publication and discussed the portions dealing with the events of that period.
Referring to the reported meeting, Kesavan alleged that the visit had taken place after a gap of eight-and-a-half years and questioned what had prompted Sonia Gandhi to meet the former Union Minister at that particular time.
"Why, and what was Sonia Gandhi so apprehensive about what Natwar Singh would write in his book about events leading to the swearing-in of the UPA government in 2004?" he asked.
Concluding his criticism, the BJP spokesperson accused the Congress of causing extensive damage to India's political system and democratic institutions during its decades in power at the Centre.
He also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with addressing what he described as the historical wrongs committed under Congress rule.
"The Congress regime at the Centre for nearly 55 years inflicted unfathomable damage and scars on Indian polity and our democracy," Kesavan added.