"Take A Good Look": Sonia Gandhi's Most Harrowing 2002 Gujarat Riots Memory

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has revisited one of the darkest chapters in independent India's history, recalling the horror of the 2002 Gujarat riots. In her memoir, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love', published by HarperCollins India and released on Tuesday, Sonia Gandhi recounted how she watched television reports of the violence with disbelief and horror, while attempting to reach Congress colleagues in Gujarat who were calling for assistance. She alleged that the state administration failed to respond when the situation deteriorated and communal violence claimed lives across the state.

Sonia Gandhi, 79, who was then the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, described travelling to Ahmedabad as part of an all-party parliamentary delegation, visiting relief camps housing survivors and witnessing the physical and emotional devastation inflicted on families caught in the violence.

"When I was leader of the opposition in Parliament, I met the victims of many tragedies, and each time I was haunted by the misery I had witnessed. In 2002 the state of Gujarat was ravaged by communal riots; much of the carnage was televised live with the advent of cable TV and shook the country with its fearsome images. The riots were triggered when four coaches of the Sabarmati Express were set on fire and fifty-nine pilgrims ded. The train was returning to the state capital Ahmedabad from Ayodhya carrying Hindu kar sevaks-volunteers for the Ram temple," Sonia Gandhi writes in her book. 

READ | Sonia Gandhi's Interview With NDTV In 2004, Now Seen From Her Memoir's Lens

"The cause of the fire remains disputed, but the turmoil that followed spread to many parts of the state, and the victims were overwhelmingly Muslims. We watched the live reports in horror, and tried to get help to our colleagues in Gujarat who were calling us in desperation, but the administration failed to respond," she added. 

The violence followed the burning of four coaches of the Sabarmati Express at Godhra on February 27, 2002. Fifty-eight people were killed in the incident, which triggered widespread communal violence across Gujarat. The circumstances surrounding the fire have remained disputed, and accounts of the events leading up to it have been the subject of prolonged controversy. The violence that followed spread to several parts of Gujarat.

"The riots were said to have been fuelled by a fanatical fringe of the BJP and RSS, the Bajrang Dal. The chief minister of the state at the time was Narendra Modi," Sonia Gandhi writes in her book. 

READ | Why Sonia Gandhi Begged Husband Not To Enter Politics But Didn't Stop Son

She subsequently joined an all-party parliamentary delegation that was permitted to visit Ahmedabad, the principal centre of the violence, after disagreements with what she describes as a reluctant BJP government over allowing the visit. The delegation's arrival, however, did little to ease the atmosphere she encountered. 

The delegation first met state officials, who presented what Sonia Gandhi describes as a report that lacked any expression of human concern for the suffering caused by the violence. After the meeting, the members were directed towards a bus on the grounds of security and taken to relief camps where survivors of the violence had sought shelter.

"After the meeting, we were herded into a bus 'for security reasons', then taken to some of the relief camps housing the survivors of the massacre. It was in one of the camps crowded by traumatised men, women, and children squatting in a makeshift hall that the most wrenching moment came for me," Sonia Gandhi writes in her memoir. 

READ | In Memoir, Sonia Gandhi Describes Fallout With "Choti Bahu" Maneka

The Congress leader recalled that a child appeared physically weakened, with a gaunt face and a dazed expression. The father held her up before the visiting politicians and pleaded with them to look at what had happened to his daughter.

"Here, this is my child-take a look at her, take a good look. The rakshasas (demons) raped her again and again," he told the delegation, as per Sonia Gandhi's account.

The man then broke down, asking the visitors what he could possibly do to help his daughter and pleading for someone to intervene.

"Main kya karun, kya karun? Kuch karo, kuch karo," he said.

READ | 'Crime To Be Ambitious?' Pranab Mukherjee's Daughter Hits Back At Sonia Gandhi

She writes that the encounter left the delegation devastated. For her personally, the moment was so overwhelming that she found herself unable to respond meaningfully.

"We were shattered. I stood in a state of stupor, gripped by horror and unable to speak or react beyond a few mumbled words of sympathy. Prime Minister Vajpayee was widely expected to dismiss Chief Minister Modi, but it's said that pressure from within his party compelled him to desist. There was an international outcry, and the governments of the US, UK, and some European countries declared in 2005 that they would not grant the Gujarat chief minister a visa. Twelve years later, they would all felicitate him when he became prime minister of India," Sonia Gandhi writes. 

Sonia Gandhi's Assessment Of Narendra Modi

In her memoir, Sonia Gandhi also wrote about her relationship with PM Modi and their sharply contrasting ideological positions and the different ideas of India that they represent.

The Congress veteran writes that she has had virtually no personal interaction with PM Modi despite his having served as prime minister for more than 12 years and entering his third term in office. She describes their encounters at formal parliamentary gatherings, particularly at the end of Parliament sessions, when leaders of major political parties traditionally meet in the Speaker's chamber.

READ | "He Tends To Look Away, Avoiding Eye Contact": Sonia Gandhi On PM Modi

"Narendra Damodardas Modi has been the prime minister of India for more than twelve years as of this writing and is now in his third term in office. To this day, I've had practically no real contact with him," she writes.

According to Sonia Gandhi, their exchanges are usually limited to a formal greeting, with PM Modi appearing reluctant to make eye contact.

"It's a very small room, and usually many people are present, but when he comes face-to-face with me, we greet each other with a formal namaste. This is different from the past, when leaders across party divides would treat one another with cordiality. He tends to look away, avoiding eye contact," she writes.

She also recalls brief conversations when Modi asked about her health after she returned from hospital visits. On those occasions, she says, he would ask, "Theek hain aap?" to which she would respond, "Jee, ab main theek hoon, shukriya."

READ | When Indira Gandhi Feared George Fernandes Would "Blow Her Up"

Beyond these brief exchanges, Sonia Gandhi says, they have never really spoken to each other. Their communication has largely been confined to formal birthday and New Year greetings.

BJP's Whitewashing Accusations

The release of the memoir also triggered a reaction from the BJP, with the ruling party accusing Sonia Gandhi of attempting to defend the Congress's historical record while avoiding responsibility for controversial decisions taken by governments led by her party.

BJP national spokesperson CR Kesavan criticised Sonia Gandhi over her recollections of the Emergency imposed in 1975, alleging that the book attempted to soften the historical record of the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Kesavan said the memoir should have been titled 'Whitewashing' rather than 'Belonging: A Journey of Love', alleging that its central purpose was to obscure the damage caused by the Congress during its decades in power.

"Sonia Gandhi could have titled her memoir as 'Whitewashing' instead of 'Belonging', because the motive of this book appears to be sugar coating the historical wrongs perpetrated by the Nehru Gandhi family and camouflaging the cardinal sins committed by the Congress party," he said in a post on X.

READ | "We Fell In Love With Him": Sonia Gandhi On 1st Son Who Died Just After Birth

Kesavan also questioned Sonia Gandhi's references to other episodes of communal violence and political controversy, including the demolition of the Babri Masjid and the 1984 anti-Sikh violence.

He asked whether Sonia Gandhi had shown similar concern when Sikh places of worship were targeted and thousands of people were killed during the violence that followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984.

"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 the Congress rule?" Kesavan said.

Kesavan further invoked the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, questioning the Congress-led UPA government's response and asking whether the memoir would explain why the government did not retaliate against those responsible.

"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 said.