Sonia Gandhi's memoir reveals Maneka's fallout with Gandhi family: From family feuds to political rift

From a love marriage that brought her into the Nehru-Gandhi family to bitter domestic arguments, political differences and an acrimonious exit, Sonia Gandhi's memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love revisits the turbulent relationship between Maneka Gandhi and her in-laws.

In the 526-page book, published by HarperCollins India, Sonia recounts how Maneka, whom she describes as a "pretty and vivacious girl", married Sanjay Gandhi within a year of being introduced to him towards the end of 1973. At 18, Maneka became the younger daughter-in-law of the Gandhi family.

Sonia describes her initially warm relationship with Maneka, saying it was "refreshing" to have a younger sister-in-law in the house. However, she recalls that tensions gradually surfaced within the household.

"I'd remain silent to keep the peace, but when I felt it had gone too far, I wouldn't hold back and would respond curtly," Sonia writes, describing their exchanges.

She also recalls that arguments between Sanjay and Maneka became increasingly heated. According to her, Maneka sometimes used expletives even in the presence of Indira Gandhi, words that were considered taboo in the family and left other members embarrassed.

Sonia suggests that Maneka's growing involvement in Sanjay's political activities further strained relationships within the family. She writes that Maneka's influence began affecting the relationship between Sanjay and his elder brother Rajiv, who had until then been close.

The tensions deepened following the 1978 election defeat, which Rajiv reportedly blamed in part on Sanjay's political conduct, including his impulsive decisions and programmes implemented without adequate thought or consultation.

Recalling a family discussion, Sonia writes that Rajiv told Sanjay: "I cannot forgive you, Sanjay, you have brought Ma to this pass."

Indira Gandhi, according to the memoir, also expressed her displeasure over Sanjay taking decisions without her knowledge. Sonia alleges that Maneka's intervention during the discussion further aggravated the situation.

The memoir also accuses Maneka of making sarcastic remarks about the family and spreading stories through journalists. One allegation that particularly upset Sonia and Rajiv was that they had planned to leave the country after the 1978 electoral defeat.

The differences took a more serious turn after Sanjay died in an aircraft crash on June 23, 1980. Sonia writes that Maneka's mother was believed to be encouraging Sanjay's loyalists in the Congress to seek a political position for his widow.

However, Indira Gandhi reportedly felt that Maneka, then 23, was too young and inexperienced for a leadership role and should focus on raising her three-month-old son, Feroze Varun Gandhi.

The relationship deteriorated further over the arrangements for Varun's first birthday. Sonia writes that Indira later learnt that the celebration had been held at the residence of Vasundhara Raje, daughter of the former royal family of Gwalior and a supporter of the RSS, rather than at the Gandhi household.

Sonia describes Maneka's subsequent association with the sale of her magazine Surya to an RSS member as a deliberate political affront to Indira and the family's ideological legacy.

The final confrontation came when Indira, returning from an official visit to London, learnt that Maneka was moving her belongings out of the family residence. She reportedly asked her daughter-in-law to choose between ending what she described as disloyal political activities and living elsewhere.

According to Sonia, Maneka responded with a letter containing accusations against her mother-in-law. Sonia alleges that Maneka had planned her departure and confided the strategy to a journalist friend weeks beforehand.

Describing the episode, Sonia writes that the manner in which the incident was handled and the subsequent media coverage turned it into what would today be called a "reality show".

The fallout continued in the years after Maneka left the household, with the family becoming embroiled in a legal dispute over access to Varun. Sonia recalls that Indira once asked her to deliver birthday gifts to Varun's nursery school. The following day, newspapers carried allegations by Maneka that Sonia had been sent to kidnap the child.

Sonia says Indira's final reply to Maneka's lawyer was dated April 19, 1984, less than two months before Operation Blue Star.

Maneka later contested the 1984 Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate but lost to Rajiv Gandhi. She joined V P Singh's Janata Dal in 1988 and formally joined the BJP in 2004.

The memoir also traces Sonia's journey from her childhood in post-war Italy to her marriage to Rajiv Gandhi, his assassination and her eventual entry into politics.