Sonia Gandhi's memoir under scrutiny: 55 factual errors in "Belonging: A Journey of Love" — What went wrong?

SONIA GANDHI’S MEMOIR Belonging: A Journey of Love, hit bookstores on November 10, 2026, with several revelations and shocking details about the Gandhi family. The memoir covers Sonia Gandhi’s personal journey from a small Italian town to India's most prominent political family. The book was much-awaited for its insights into the Gandhi family and India's grand old party, Indian National Congress. . However, the memoir  has come under scrutiny over several factual inaccuracies. 

Readers have been left surprised because the book covers some major incidents in political history, yet contains several inaccurate facts. An examination of the book by India Today, found around 55 factual and contextual issues. Some discrepancies involve incorrect years, while others are substantial mistakes that could alter the understanding of historical events.

The discrepancies include important events in India's political landscape, including the founding year of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the 1999 Kargil War, the 2002 Gujarat riots and Rahul Gandhi's criminal defamation case. Many have argued that while a personal memoir contains an individual's recollections and memories, factual accuracy is important when it deals with the political history of a country. Let's look at some of the factual inaccuracies in the book.

In Chapter 33, the memoir mentions Anna Andolan and the anti-corruption movement in Delhi. It states that Anna Hazare became the face of the India Against Corruption movement in 2012 and gained prominence. However, the movement actually gained prominence in April 2011, when Anna Hazare began an indefinite hunger strike at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, demanding the Jan Lokpal Bill.

Chapter 29 of the book also mentions Ahmed Patel, Sonia Gandhi's close aide. She writes that he died due to COVID-19 complications in 2022. However, Patel actually died in 2020 following complications related to the COVID-19 pandemic. These are not the only factual errors in the memoir; the list is much longer.

In Chapter 24 of her memoir, the Congress MP writes that the Hindu nationalist organization, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), was founded in 1921. However, the organisation was founded in September 1925 by Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in Nagpur, Maharashtra. The difference is four years.

Apart from this factual error, the memoir has also faced criticism from RSS insiders over its portrayal of the organisation and its ideology.

See Also: “We were expecting it:” When Sonia Gandhi mistook gunshots for Diwali crackers before discovering that Indira Gandhi had been shot by her bodyguards at their residence

The book also mentions the 2002 Gujarat riots. Sonia Gandhi writes that the riots were triggered after four coaches of the Sabarmati Express were set ablaze at Godhra, Gujarat. However, the fire involved only one coach—S-6—, which resulted in the deaths of 59 passengers.

Subsequently, the memoir proclaims Ahmedabad as the capital of state of Gujarat when Ms Gandhi gives the account of the Godhra incident saying the train was returning from Ayodhya to Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat, carrying Kkar Ssevaks, who were volunteers associated with the Ram temple movement.  But, in fact, Gandhinagar is  the  the capital of Gujarat since 1970.

One of the most significant discrepancies in the book concerns the timeline of events during the Kargil War. The memoir mentions that then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1998-2004) was hosted in Pakistan by the then Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif when a Ladakhi shepherd named Tashi Namgyal spotted Pakistani infiltrators along the Line of Control (LoC). However, Vajpayee visited Pakistan in February 1999, while the infiltration was spotted in May 1999.

According to records, Vajpayee's historic peace visit to Lahore took place on February 20–21, 1999. The infiltrators in Ladakh were spotted on May 3, 1999, more than two months later.  The memoir also mentions that Indian soldiers regained the occupied territory over a period of 10 months. However, the Kargil conflict took place between May and July 1999, with Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrated on July 26.

See Also: When Sonia Maino Met Future PM Rajiv Gandhi at a Greek Restaurant and Married Him Three Years Later: Congress Leader Recalls How Her Love Story Began Ahead of Memoir Release

The memoir also contains several inaccuracies regarding Rahul Gandhi's criminal defamation case. The case was about a remark made by Rahul Gandhi during a public event in Kolar, Karnataka before the 17th Lok Sabha General elections. He said, “In sab choron ke naam Modi, Modi, Modi, Kyun hai? Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi” (Why are all these thieves named Modi? Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi).”  

Sonia Gandhi writes that the case against Rahul Gandhi was filed in 2023 over a remark he had made three years earlier. She also mentions that the Gujarat High Court sentenced her son to two years of imprisonment. In reality, Rahul Gandhi made the remarks in 2019 during an election campaign speech, and a complaint was filed against him that same year.

A magistrate's court in Surat, Gujarat, delivered its verdict in 2023, convicting him and sentencing him to two years in prison. The Gujarat High Court later declined to stay the conviction.

Another factual error concerns the restoration of Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha membership. Sonia Gandhi writes that Rahul Gandhi was allowed to return to Parliament a year after the Supreme Court's decision to suspend his prison sentence. However, the Supreme Court stayed his conviction on August 4, 2023, and his Lok Sabha membership was restored just three days later.

Apart from these discrepancies, some major international events mentioned in the book also contain errors. One such error concerns Nelson Mandela's visit to India to receive the Bharat Ratna. Sonia Gandhi writes that the former South African President visited India to receive the award in 1991, whereas it actually happened in 1990.

In addition, the memoir mentions that when Mandela was sworn in as South Africa's President in 1994, India sent a delegation led by President R.K. Narayan. However, the delegation was actually led by the then Vice-President of India, K.R. Narayanan.

Another error concerns the 1985 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which was held in Nassau, Bahamas. The memoir refers to it as the 49th meeting, whereas it was the eighth.

The name of China's President during Rajiv Gandhi's landmark visit to China in 1988 is also mentioned incorrectly. The memoir identifies Deng Xiaoping as the President. However, although Deng was China's paramount leader and was present during the talks, the country's President at the time was Yang Shangkun.

[OG/VP/RS]

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