For close to four decades in public life, Sonia Gandhi has said very little about herself. Her critics did most of the talking. With the release of Belonging: A Journey of Love on Tuesday, the Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson is telling her story herself, and her party is presenting the book as both a personal record and a political rebuttal.

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) Vice President Gurunadham said the timing was deliberate and correct. "The decision taken by Sonia Gandhi is the right decision at the right time. Why? Because the BJP has been making several allegations against Sonia Gandhi and attempting to undermine her stature and status in the public eye. So, this is a good response to the BJP, and I feel it is also a part and parcel of great Indian history," he said.

Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput went further. He called it "Sonia Gandhi's only book in which she has written her memoirs" and said "the truth will become clear" through it. He also expected pushback. "Yes, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the RSS and those who indulge in Hindu-Muslim politics in the name of communalism will certainly create a controversy over certain incidents mentioned in the book. They will definitely raise questions. We must welcome those criticisms as well. We are ready to respond to them," he said.

His appeal to readers was direct: "Come, read Sonia Gandhi. Understand Sonia Gandhi, and instead of making shameless remarks about her, respect her." Rajput said the memoir would put to rest misconceptions that have built up over the years, and he predicted it would be a bestseller.

Congress leader Abhishek Dutt took a more personal view. He described the book as "an inspiration to the people who are going through a difficult time, showing how Madam Gandhi kept her boundaries when the BJP and PM Modi made personal attacks on her."

A memoir that took a winding road to print

The book reached Indian readers after some turbulence. HarperCollins India stepped in to publish it after Penguin Random House India withdrew, citing the author's refusal to make editorial changes, although Penguin Random House India disputed the claim that it had refused to publish the memoir. Internationally, the hardcover and ebook come from Knopf, with an audio edition from Penguin Random House.

The content gives the political debate plenty to work with. The 544-page book begins in Cambridge in 1965, when 19-year-old Sonia Maino falls in love with Rajiv Gandhi, and goes on to cover her eventual entry into politics after years of resisting it, along with her 2004 decision to decline the prime minister's post. It is also expected to cover the deaths of Sanjay Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

Why it matters

Political memoirs in India seldom arrive without a fight, and this one is written by the person at the centre of some of the country's longest-running political arguments, from her foreign origin to the 2004 decision. Congress leaders are betting that a first-person account will change how people see her. Her opponents are likely to read the same pages looking for things to challenge, as Rajput himself predicted. No response from the BJP had been reported in the remarks cited here.

Whether Belonging changes minds or simply hardens existing positions, it puts Sonia Gandhi's own version on the record for the first time.

With inputs from IANS

For close to four decades in public life, Sonia Gandhi has said very little about herself. Her critics did most of the talking. With the release of Belonging: A Journey of Love on Tuesday, the Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson is telling her story herself, and her party is presenting the book as both a personal record and a political rebuttal.

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) Vice President Gurunadham said the timing was deliberate and correct. "The decision taken by Sonia Gandhi is the right decision at the right time. Why? Because the BJP has been making several allegations against Sonia Gandhi and attempting to undermine her stature and status in the public eye. So, this is a good response to the BJP, and I feel it is also a part and parcel of great Indian history," he said.

Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput went further. He called it "Sonia Gandhi's only book in which she has written her memoirs" and said "the truth will become clear" through it. He also expected pushback. "Yes, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the RSS and those who indulge in Hindu-Muslim politics in the name of communalism will certainly create a controversy over certain incidents mentioned in the book. They will definitely raise questions. We must welcome those criticisms as well. We are ready to respond to them," he said.

His appeal to readers was direct: "Come, read Sonia Gandhi. Understand Sonia Gandhi, and instead of making shameless remarks about her, respect her." Rajput said the memoir would put to rest misconceptions that have built up over the years, and he predicted it would be a bestseller.

Congress leader Abhishek Dutt took a more personal view. He described the book as "an inspiration to the people who are going through a difficult time, showing how Madam Gandhi kept her boundaries when the BJP and PM Modi made personal attacks on her."

A memoir that took a winding road to print

The book reached Indian readers after some turbulence. HarperCollins India stepped in to publish it after Penguin Random House India withdrew, citing the author's refusal to make editorial changes, although Penguin Random House India disputed the claim that it had refused to publish the memoir. Internationally, the hardcover and ebook come from Knopf, with an audio edition from Penguin Random House.

The content gives the political debate plenty to work with. The 544-page book begins in Cambridge in 1965, when 19-year-old Sonia Maino falls in love with Rajiv Gandhi, and goes on to cover her eventual entry into politics after years of resisting it, along with her 2004 decision to decline the prime minister's post. It is also expected to cover the deaths of Sanjay Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

Why it matters

Political memoirs in India seldom arrive without a fight, and this one is written by the person at the centre of some of the country's longest-running political arguments, from her foreign origin to the 2004 decision. Congress leaders are betting that a first-person account will change how people see her. Her opponents are likely to read the same pages looking for things to challenge, as Rajput himself predicted. No response from the BJP had been reported in the remarks cited here.

Whether Belonging changes minds or simply hardens existing positions, it puts Sonia Gandhi's own version on the record for the first time.

With inputs from IANS