New Delhi: Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi has described her political differences with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an ideological battle over the vision of India, saying the two leaders come from vastly different political and cultural worlds.
In her memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, which hit bookstores across India on Tuesday, November 10, Gandhi wrote that her understanding of India was shaped by her family, its commitment to public service and the belief in a nation built on diversity, liberty and equality.
“We come from different ideological worlds; his idea of this country is vastly different from mine,” she wrote, describing her vision as one that embraces different cultures, languages, races and faiths.
Sonia Gandhi Says Her Vision Of India Is Based On Inclusiveness And Secularism
Gandhi also offered a sharp assessment of Modi’s political ideology, linking his vision of India to the ideological influence of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and his personal upbringing.
“Narendra Modi’s idea of India was constructed by the ideologues of the RSS and the experience of his own growing up,” she wrote.
Contrasting the two visions, Gandhi said she stood for a country that rejects hegemony and upholds inclusiveness, secularism and social justice.
“He was fighting for his vision of India, and I for mine: an India against hegemony, an India that stands for inclusiveness, secularism, and social justice,” she added.
Sonia Gandhi Recalls Formal Interactions With PM Modi
The Congress leader also wrote about her limited personal interactions with Modi, despite his having served as Prime Minister for more than 12 years, as described in the memoir.
She said their encounters generally take place at formal or semi-official gatherings, including meetings of political party leaders at the end of Parliament sessions.
According to Gandhi, they exchange a formal ‘namaste’ when they meet. She contrasted this with an earlier political culture in which leaders from opposing parties maintained greater cordiality in their interactions.
Memoir Revisits 2002 Gujarat Riots And Godhra Train Tragedy
Gandhi also revisited the 2002 Gujarat riots, which followed the burning of coaches of the Sabarmati Express near Godhra. The incident killed 59 people, including Hindu pilgrims returning from Ayodhya.
In the memoir, she recalled the scale of the violence and the images broadcast on television, saying the riots left her deeply disturbed.
She wrote that the cause of the train fire remained disputed, while the violence that followed spread to several parts of Gujarat. Gandhi noted that Muslims accounted for the overwhelming majority of the victims of the riots.
Recalling the response at the time, she said opposition leaders watched television reports in horror and tried to assist colleagues in Gujarat who were seeking help.
Gandhi alleged that the state administration failed to respond adequately as the violence unfolded. She also referred to allegations that elements of the BJP, RSS and Bajrang Dal had fuelled the riots, while noting that Modi was Gujarat’s chief minister at the time.
The passages offer Gandhi’s account and political assessment of the events, as presented in her memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love.
