Sonia Gandhi trying to justify Emergency, memoir should've been named 'Whitewashing': BJP

New Delhi: The BJP on Tuesday hit out at former Congress president Sonia Gandhi for trying to "justify" the Emergency in her memoir, "Belonging: A Journey of Love", and said the book should instead have been named "whitewashing".

The motive of the book appears to be "sugar-coating the historical wrongs perpetrated" by the Nehru-Gandhi family, BJP's national spokesperson C R Kesavan said in a post on X.

The comments from the ruling party came on the day of the release of Gandhi's memoir, in which she has weighed in on the Emergency imposed in the country in 1975 and called it a mistake. Gandhi said she believes that her mother-in-law and former prime minister Indira Gandhi also came to feel the same.

The Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson also wrote that keeping her husband Rajiv Gandhi's brother Sanjay Gandhi "in check" could have prevented much of the damage that followed the imposition of the Emergency.

Kesavan said, "Sonia Gandhi could have titled her memoir as 'Whitewashing' instead of 'Belonging', because the motive of this book appears to be sugar coating the historical wrongs perpetrated by the Nehru Gandhi family and camouflaging the cardinal sins committed by the Congress party."

"She says she cried for Babri Masjid. Did Sonia Gandhi shed even a drop of tear when Gurudwaras were targeted and thousands of innocent people were violently killed during the 1984 Sikh Massacre which happened during the Congress rule?

"Sonia Gandhi cried profusely for the Batla House terrorists, but did she weep for the brave CRPF jawans who were martyred in the line of duty protecting our nation and people?" the BJP leader said.

"Did Sonia Gandhi cry for the innocent lives lost in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks which happened under the Congress Govt. Will her book answer why the cowardly Congress-led UPA Govt failed to retaliate?" he asked.

Kesavan said the way Gandhi has tried to "justify and normalise the notorious Emergency", which murdered the Constitution and suspended fundamental rights, is truly appalling.

"The Congress regime at the Centre for nearly 55 years inflicted unfathomable damage and scars on Indian polity and our democracy. The nation is thankful to PM Modi ji for effectively course correcting the historical sins and wrongs committed by the Congress party," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Mathrubhumi and is published from a syndicated feed.)