Sonia Gandhi's memoir blends personal story with political reflections, N Ram says
Former Hindu editor N Ram told NDTV that Sonia Gandhi's autobiography, released Tuesday, mixes family memories with commentary on current political issues, though it was not written as an election tool.
Sonia Gandhi's autobiography "Belonging: A Journey of Love" was released on Tuesday, offering a personal account of her life with the Gandhi family while also touching on political topics such as the BJP, the RSS, the Election Commission and concerns about vote-stealing, former The Hindu editor N Ram said in an exclusive interview with NDTV.
Ram, who read the manuscript before publication and interviewed Gandhi, noted that the political references emerged naturally in the narrative rather than being crafted for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
"It happened suddenly. There are inputs for the elections in this, particularly what she says about the BJP and the RSS and how people are restless, how there's been vote stealing, how institutions have been damaged or destroyed," Ram told NDTV's J Sam Daniel Stalin.
He added that Gandhi’s remarks on the Election Commission and other issues reflect ongoing concerns, but the timing of the book was driven by her desire to tell her own story after years of external accounts.
"Others have spent decades telling my story. Now it is my turn," Gandhi wrote on X and reiterated in the interview.
According to Ram, Gandhi began drafting the memoir about a decade ago, working intermittently and dedicating the last five years to its completion. He said she discussed the proliferation of books about the family with her late husband Rajiv, concluding that they would not pay attention to them.
The memoir also recounts Gandhi’s decision not to become Prime Minister in 2004, describing a period of vacillation and opposition from her children Rahul and Priyanka, who feared for her safety after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.
Ram highlighted Gandhi’s reflections on the Emergency, the Bofors controversy, and her relationships with figures such as former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi. He said the book presents her as a social democrat who values dialogue across ideological lines.
Regarding contemporary politics, Gandhi is reported to argue that even if the BJP loses power, damage to institutions could have lasting effects, and she expresses ideological differences with Prime Minister Narendra Modi while acknowledging his modest background. She dismisses the RSS as offering little to learn.
Ram described the memoir’s style as direct and unembellished, emphasizing its personal focus with politics as background, and said Gandhi’s candour challenges the perception of her as a guarded figure.