From Kargil War to Ahmed Patels death: Sonia Gandhis memoir sparks fact-check row over historical errors

PTC News Desk: Sonia Gandhi's much-awaited memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, has come under criticism after several factual errors were found in the book. The mistakes relate to major events in Indian political history, raising questions about the book's editing and fact-checking process.

Released on Tuesday, the memoir reportedly contains incorrect information about the death of Ahmed Patel, the Kargil War, the RSS's founding year, the Anna Hazare movement, Gujarat's capital, Lok Sabha election results, Rahul Gandhi's defamation case and several international events.

One of the major errors relates to the 1999 Kargil War. Sonia Gandhi writes that then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in Islamabad as a guest of Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif when Ladakhi shepherd Tashi Namgyal spotted Pakistani infiltrators.

However, Vajpayee visited Lahore on February 20 and 21, 1999, while Namgyal spotted the infiltrators on May 3. The memoir also states that Indian soldiers took back the occupied territory over 10 months, although the Kargil conflict ended in July 1999.

The book also describes the fall of Vajpayee's government in April 1999 as a defeat in a no-confidence motion. In fact, the government lost a confidence vote by just one vote, with 269 votes against it and 270 in favour.

Errors in Rahul Gandhi's defamation case and Ahmed Patel's death

The memoir also contains incorrect details about Rahul Gandhi's criminal defamation case.

It states that the Gujarat High Court sentenced Rahul Gandhi to two years in prison in 2023 over remarks made three years earlier. However, the remarks were made in April 2019, and a Surat magistrate's court convicted him on March 23, 2023.

Sonia Gandhi also writes that Rahul returned to Parliament a year later after the Supreme Court suspended his sentence. In reality, the Supreme Court stayed his conviction on August 4, 2023, and his Lok Sabha membership was restored three days later.

Another major error concerns Sonia Gandhi's close aide Ahmed Patel. In Chapter 29, she writes that he died due to Covid in 2022. However, Patel passed away on November 25, 2020, following Covid-related complications.

Incorrect dates for RSS and Anna Hazare movement

The memoir also gives the wrong year for the founding of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). It states that the organisation was founded in 1921 and had the idea of creating a Hindu nation.

However, the RSS was founded by KB Hedgewar in Nagpur on September 27, 1925.

Similarly, the book places Anna Hazare's rise as the face of the 'India Against Corruption' movement in 2012. His major indefinite fast at Delhi's Jantar Mantar actually began on April 5, 2011.

While discussing the 2002 Gujarat riots, the memoir identifies Ahmedabad as the state's capital. However, Gandhinagar has been Gujarat's capital since 1970. The book also states that four coaches of the Sabarmati Express were set on fire at Godhra, whereas the fatal fire took place in coach S-6.

Mistakes in election results

The memoir also contains errors in election figures.

While it correctly mentions that the BJP won 282 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, it gives the NDA's tally as 353 seats. This was actually the alliance's 2019 tally, while it won 336 seats in 2014.

The book also gives two different figures for Congress's performance in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections, mentioning 405 seats in one section and 404 in another.

Errors related to international events

Some of the factual mistakes also concern major international events and leaders.

The memoir gives 1991 as the year Nelson Mandela visited India to receive the Bharat Ratna, whereas the visit took place in 1990.

It also incorrectly identifies Vice-President KR Narayanan as President RK Narayan during Mandela's 1994 inauguration. The book describes the 1985 Commonwealth summit in Nassau as the 49th summit, although it was the eighth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Another error concerns China's leadership during Rajiv Gandhi's 1988 visit to the country. The memoir describes Deng Xiaoping as China's president, although Yang Shangkun held that position at the time.