New Delhi, Nov 12: The BJP has accused Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi of presenting a selective account of political history in her memoir, questioning its treatment of the Emergency, the 1984 anti-Sikh violence and controversies linked to Congress governments. The criticism has also extended to references in the book to former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his decision to leave the INDIA bloc, triggering a political exchange between the BJP, Congress and Janata Dal (United).
BJP MP Tarun Chugh alleged that the memoir sought to minimise the Congress leadership’s responsibility for major political events and controversies. He argued that describing the Emergency as a mistake failed to address the arrests of lakhs of people, press censorship, constitutional violations and the suppression of democratic institutions during the period.
Chugh also questioned the book’s treatment of the 1984 military operation at Sri Harmandir Sahib, saying the consequences of the operation continued to affect people. He described the memoir as an attempt to defend the Gandhi family rather than provide a comprehensive personal account.
BJP Keralam president Rajeev Chandrasekhar separately criticised the references to the 1984 anti-Sikh violence. Although he said he had not read the complete book, he cited excerpts circulating on social media and alleged that Sonia Gandhi had sought to place responsibility for the violence on the Indian Army and General Vaidya.
Chandrasekhar accused her of attempting to recast the historical account of the violence and said the Congress should be held accountable for the atrocities committed against Sikhs in 1984.
BJP leader Manmeet Singh questioned the memoir’s omissions, particularly its failure to address controversies and alleged scams associated with the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. He alleged that Sonia Gandhi exercised substantial influence over the government led by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and questioned why the book did not discuss the National Herald, Bofors and 2G controversies.
Singh said the memoir should have addressed these issues alongside the achievements it records, and sought explanations from Sonia Gandhi about the controversies surrounding the UPA years.
BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also questioned the book’s characterisation, arguing that its contents appeared to extend beyond a personal memoir into political commentary. He said the political questions raised by the account had invited further scrutiny.
The controversy also drew a response from JD(U) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan over the memoir’s portrayal of Nitish Kumar. Ranjan said Sonia Gandhi’s suggestion that Kumar had been looking for reasons to leave the INDIA bloc, partly because of his growing proximity to the BJP, reflected the Congress leadership’s frustration.
The competing responses have placed the memoir’s account of key political events and its treatment of contentious episodes in India’s recent political history at the centre of a fresh political dispute.
