'She has a right to tell her story': Priyanka defends Sonia's memoir amid BJP criticism

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday accused the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of spreading falsehoods about her mother, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, for most of her adult life in India, saying they were now dismissing her account in her recently released memoir as false.

Responding to reporters' questions about the BJP's criticism of the book, Belonging: A Journey of Love , Priyanka said Sonia Gandhi had remained silent for years despite what she described as fabricated stories and allegations against her.

"For most of my mother's adult life in India, the BJP, RSS, and many others have said whatever they wanted to say about her. They have told lies, they have fabricated stories, they have completely invented things and she has been quiet. Now she is telling her story. She has a right to tell her story," the Wayanad MP said.

Priyanka added that the BJP's dismissal of her mother's account was unsurprising, given its earlier criticism of her.

"For so long they have been telling lies about my mother. Now she is telling the truth. So obviously they are going to say that (it is false). What else can they say? Anyways, I am very happy they are reading her book," she said.

The remarks came after the BJP on Tuesday criticised Sonia Gandhi's memoir, accusing her of attempting to justify the imposition of the Emergency in 1975 and giving a "clean chit" to her late husband, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, over the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

The BJP said the book should have been titled "whitewashing" instead of Belonging. It also accused the former Congress president of selective outrage over violence and national security issues, alleging that her concerns were driven by electoral considerations.

Sonia Gandhi's memoir was released on Tuesday and has drawn both positive and negative reactions over its contents.

Priyanka said her mother had used the book to put forward her own explanations and perspective.

"Whatever she wanted to explain or whatever was her point of view, she has put in her book. Everyone has their own personal point of view. Everyone has their own story, right," she said.

(With inputs from PTI)

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