JD(U) and BJP Condemn Sonia Gandhi's New Memoir

The Janata Dal (United) and the Bharatiya Janata Party have launched sharp criticisms of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi following the release of her memoir, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love'. The JD(U) objected to Gandhi's claim that Nitish Kumar sought an opportunity to leave the INDIA bloc and was influenced by the BJP prior to his return to the National Democratic Alliance in early 2024.

JD(U) national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad countered these claims, asserting that Kumar was the architect of the INDIA bloc and had persuaded regional parties to partner with the Congress. The party accused the Congress of ignoring Kumar's efforts to unite the Opposition, including organizing the first bloc meeting in Patna. Reports also indicate that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge supported Gandhi's view, characterizing Kumar's actions as political maneuvering.

Simultaneously, BJP workers in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, protested the book by burning an effigy of Gandhi. Led by MP Anil Firojiya, protesters accused the memoir of practicing a politics of appeasement and whitewashing the history of the Nehru-Gandhi family. Firojiya specifically alleged that while the book mentions Gandhi's grief over the Babri Masjid demolition, it fails to express sympathy for the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The Indian National Congress has defended the work as a personal memoir.