Sonia Gandhi’s Memoir Gets Historical Details Wrong, From Gujarat Capital To RSS Founding Year

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, hit bookstores on Tuesday, offering insights into her personal life, political journey and entry into the Nehru-Gandhi family. However, the 502-page book has come under scrutiny after several historical inaccuracies were spotted in passages made available from its chapters.

At least four details in the memoir appear to contain factual errors, involving the capital of Gujarat, the founding year of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the death of a senior Congress leader and the timeline of Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement.

One of the apparent errors appears in the chapter discussing the 2002 Gujarat riots. Sonia Gandhi recalls visiting Ahmedabad as part of an all-party parliamentary delegation when she was the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

She writes about visiting relief camps housing riot survivors and witnessing the devastation caused by the violence. However, the memoir refers to Ahmedabad as Gujarat's capital, whereas Gandhinagar has held that position since 1970, as per a report on NDTV.

Another discrepancy appears in Chapter 24, on page 338, where Sonia Gandhi discusses the ideological foundations of the RSS and its political association with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The memoir gives 1921 as the year the organisation was established.

However, the RSS was founded in 1925 by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar. The same section also contains an incorrect year for the death of senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, one of Sonia Gandhi's closest political aides. In the memoir, Sonia Gandhi, 79, recalls that Patel served as her political secretary until his death from Covid-19 in 2022.

However, the veteran Congress leader died on November 25, 2020, aged 71, reported India Today. Patel had tested positive for Covid-19 on October 1, 2020, and was admitted to the intensive care unit of Medanta Hospital in Gurugram on November 15, ten days before his death.

Widely known within the Congress as 'AP', Patel was a Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat and played an important role in advising Sonia Gandhi on party matters, political alliances and organisational issues. He had also served as an adviser to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

A further discrepancy appears in Chapter 33, on page 461, where Sonia Gandhi discusses the anti-corruption agitation led by activist Anna Hazare. The memoir places the emergence of Hazare and the India Against Corruption movement in 2012.

However, the movement gained national prominence in 2011, when Hazare began an indefinite hunger strike at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on April 5, demanding the introduction of a stronger anti-corruption law through the Jan Lokpal Bill.

The agitation became a major political challenge for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. Titled Belonging: A Journey of Love, the 502-page memoir traces Sonia Gandhi's life from her childhood in Italy and her years in the United Kingdom to her meeting with Rajiv Gandhi, marriage and eventual entry into Indian politics.

The book also features photographs from her personal life, including memories of her parents, siblings and late husband Rajiv Gandhi. Bharathi SP is a journalist and Associate Producer at ABP Live English, chasing breaking news and digging up untold stories, mostly from South India.

With over 7 years of experience in the news industry, she's worked across both print and digital platforms, wearing many hats: sub-editor, senior reporter, and, now, producer. An alumna of ACJ and IGNOU, Bharathi focuses on politics, inclusive development and stories that connect the states with the nation.

She has a soft spot for long-form narratives, sharp angles and all things political. For any tips and queries, you can reach out to her at bharathi@abpnetwork.com.