NEW DELHI, Nov 10: Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's much-discussed memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, was released on Monday.
The 544-page book covers her personal life, her relationship with former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, events involving the Gandhi family and several important chapters of India's political history.
Gandhi wrote about her childhood in Italy, her arrival in India, her first meeting with Rajiv Gandhi, their relationship and marriage. She also recalled the deaths of Sanjay Gandhi in an air crash, Indira Gandhi's assassination in 1984 and Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in 1991.
In the book, Gandhi described the Emergency imposed by then prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1975 as a mistake. She said much of the damage during that period could have been prevented if Sanjay Gandhi had been kept under control.
She also set out her views on her decision not to accept the prime minister's post after the Congress won the 2004 Lok Sabha election. The memoir includes private family photographs and references to Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and her grandchildren.
The book triggered a political row on the day of its release. BJP national spokesperson C R Kesavan said it should have been called Whitewashing instead of Belonging, alleging that it sought to evade responsibility for controversial episodes involving the Gandhi family and the Congress.
Kesavan objected particularly to the account of the Emergency, saying the book did not clearly address responsibility for the suspension of fundamental rights, media censorship and other events during that period.
Gandhi's representatives had earlier differed over editorial changes and proposals to remove some portions from the Indian edition. The book was later published in India.
Gandhi had earlier said the book was the story of her personal life rather than a political statement. She said others had written about her life for many years and it was time for her to tell her own story.
