The memoir, titled Belonging: A Journey of Love, details key episodes including the Shah Bano case and the 1999 Congress revolt.
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has released her memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, which revisits several significant political episodes. According to the Times of India, the book covers events such as the Shah Bano controversy, the Babri Masjid demolition, and the 1999 revolt within the Congress party regarding her foreign origin.
In the book, Gandhi recalls a disagreement with her late husband, then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, over the 1985 Shah Bano case. She noted that she was unsettled by media reports and activist statements suggesting the government was compromising the interests of Muslim women.
Gandhi writes that Rajiv Gandhi defended his approach, stating he intended to handle the complex situation with fairness and would not fail to protect women's rights. He reportedly sought to address the needs of women like Shah Bano without undermining the framework of Muslim Personal Law.
The memoir also describes how the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya influenced her decision to enter public life. She viewed the incident as evidence that the BJP-RSS were openly pursuing their political agenda.
Gandhi also reflects on the 1991 assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and her subsequent withdrawal from politics. She eventually returned to active duty, becoming Congress president in 1998 to address the party's declining position.
The book details a 1999 attempt to form a government after the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led administration lost a no-confidence motion. Gandhi admitted that the failure to secure the required 272-member majority was a miscalculation based on unfulfilled assurances.
