In her book 'Belonging: A Journey of Love', Sonia Gandhi describes domestic tensions and political friction within the Gandhi family.
Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has detailed her past relationship and eventual fallout with Maneka Gandhi in her memoir, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love'. According to reports by Moneycontrol and The Economic Times, the book describes the domestic and political tensions that occurred within the Gandhi household.
Sonia Gandhi writes that while Maneka Gandhi was initially refreshing to have in the house, the atmosphere changed as irritations cropped up. She notes that Maneka would sometimes use expletives that were taboo in the home, which shocked the family. The memoir also describes how Maneka's influence on Sanjay Gandhi began to interfere with his relationship with Rajiv Gandhi.
The book states that Indira Gandhi felt Maneka was encouraging Sanjay's political activities rather than acting as a sobering influence. Following the death of Sanjay Gandhi in an aircraft crash on June 23, 1980, tensions increased. Sonia Gandhi writes that Maneka's mother reportedly urged the Congress party to demand a political position for her daughter.
Indira Gandhi refused these demands, stating Maneka was too young for a leadership role and needed to focus on her three-month-old baby. Sonia Gandhi alleges that Maneka spread stories through journalists, including a claim that she and Rajiv Gandhi intended to flee the country after the 1978 elections were lost.
The memoir notes that Maneka's departure from the family became apparent when she attended a birthday party for Feroze Varun Gandhi at the house of Vasundhara Raje, a political opponent of Indira Gandhi.
