New Delhi, Nov 2026 : Congress veteran Sonia Gandhi's much-awaited memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, which was released in bookstores on Tuesday, has drawn attention for its personal accounts of the Nehru-Gandhi family and her political journey. However, the book has also triggered a factual controversy after readers identified at least three apparent inaccuracies relating to significant political and historical events.
The discrepancies, found in different chapters, concern the timeline of social activist Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement, the founding year of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and the death of senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, who served as Sonia Gandhi's political secretary and close confidant.
The first apparent error relates to the India Against Corruption movement, which became a major political challenge for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
In Chapter 33, page 461, Sonia Gandhi places the emergence of Hazare and the movement in 2012. The memoir states: "In 2012 a well-known activist from Maharashtra, Baburao 'Anna' (Marathi for 'father' or 'elder brother') Hazare, emerged as the figurehead of a movement that titled itself 'India Against Corruption'."
However, the movement gained national prominence in 2011, particularly after Hazare launched an indefinite hunger strike at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on April 5 that year. He was demanding a stronger anti-corruption framework through the proposed Jan Lokpal Bill.
The campaign attracted widespread public attention and brought together several prominent figures, including Arvind Kejriwal, former IPS officer Kiran Bedi and yoga guru Baba Ramdev, although their positions and demands were not identical. The movement became a major political development during the UPA government's second term.
RSS Founding Year Incorrectly Mentioned
The second discrepancy appears in Chapter 24, page 338, where Sonia Gandhi refers to the founding year of the RSS.
The memoir states: "The RSS, founded in 1921, dreamed of a 'Hindu nation' that would replace constitutional ideals of equality, pluralism, and secularism with second-class citizenship for Muslims, Christians, and other religious minorities in India."
However, the RSS was founded on September 27, 1925, in Nagpur by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a doctor by profession. The organisation subsequently developed into one of India's prominent ideological and organisational movements.
The reference to 1921 in the memoir is therefore inconsistent with the historically recorded founding date of the organisation.
Ahmed Patel's Death Year Incorrectly Stated
The third apparent factual error concerns Ahmed Patel, one of Sonia Gandhi's closest political associates and an influential Congress leader.
In Chapter 29, page 401, Sonia Gandhi writes about Patel's political influence and his role as her political secretary. The memoir states that he continued in the position until he died after contracting Covid-19 in 2022.
The passage reads: "He came to wield considerable influence across the political spectrum but could be unforgiving towards those who crossed him. He remained my political secretary till, sadly, he fell victim to the Covid epidemic in 2022, leaving a vacuum in the party and an absence I felt personally".
However, Ahmed Patel died on November 25, 2020, following multiple organ failure after suffering complications related to Covid-19. He was undergoing treatment at Medanta Hospital, where his condition deteriorated and he was admitted to the intensive care unit. His body was subsequently taken to his ancestral village in Gujarat for burial.
The three apparent discrepancies have brought an unexpected factual dimension to the discussion surrounding the release of Belonging: A Journey of Love. While the memoir offers personal insights into Sonia Gandhi's family life and political experiences, the errors identified in its historical references have prompted questions about the accuracy of certain dates and events documented in the book.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
