The BJP on Tuesday accused Sonia Gandhi of trying to justify the Emergency in her new memoir. Spokesperson C R Kesavan said the book appears to be an attempt to "sugar-coat the historical wrongs perpetrated" by the Nehru-Gandhi family. He claimed the party failed to address many past national tragedies.
The BJP on Tuesday accused former Congress president Sonia Gandhi of trying to justify the Emergency in her memoir and said it should have been named "whitewashing" instead of "Belonging: A Journey of Love".
Taking to X, BJP's national spokesperson C R Kesavan said the book appears to be an attempt to "sugar-coat the historical wrongs perpetrated" by the Nehru-Gandhi family which held the power at the Centre for several years.
"Sonia Gandhi could have titled her memoir as 'Whitewashing' instead of 'Belonging', because the motive of this book appears to be sugarcoating the historical wrongs perpetrated by the Nehru-Gandhi family and camouflaging the cardinal sins committed by the Congress party," Kesavan said.
"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 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? 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.
The remarks came on the day of the launch of Gandhi's memoir, in which she spoke about the period of Emergency in 1975 and called it a mistake. Gandhi said she believes that her mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi, then prime minister, also came to feel the same.
The Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson also opined that keeping her brother-in-law Sanjay Gandhi "in check" could have prevented much of the damage that followed the imposition of the Emergency.
Kesavan said the way Gandhi has attempted to "justify and normalise the notorious Emergency", which murdered the Constitution, is truly shocking. "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," Kesavan said.