MP minister Vishvas Sarang calls Sonia Gandhi's memoir a publicity stunt to polish Nehru family image

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh minister Vishvas Sarang on Tuesday targeted Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's recently released autobiography, "Belonging: A Journey of Love". Sarang called it a "publicity stunt". He alleged that its aim is to improve the image of the Nehru family and that it presents misleading facts to hide the family's mistakes.

Sarang claimed that Sonia Gandhi said she had tears in her eyes when the Babri Masjid fell, but showed no such concern over the killing of unarmed kar sevaks or the deaths of soldiers and ordinary people in terror attacks.

Sarang said, "A woman of foreign origin, who once wanted to seize the prime minister's chair through the back door, is telling us about India. Whatever facts Sonia ji has put forward are in reality the mistakes of the Nehru family. Making misleading statements, giving false interviews and placing untrue facts in books to cover up the Nehru family's mistakes will make no difference."

He went on to say, "Sonia ji says she had tears in her eyes when the Babri Masjid fell. But she did not weep when unarmed kar sevaks were shot. When our soldiers and ordinary citizens lost their lives in terror incidents such as Pulwama and the Mumbai attacks, she expressed no grief. Where were her tears then?"

Referring to Operation Blue Star and the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, the minister also questioned Sonia Gandhi's statement on the events around the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He also recalled the controversial remark of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, "When a big tree falls, the earth shakes", made after the assassination.

Sarang claimed, "She says she broke down in tears at the time of Operation Blue Star. But after Indira Gandhi's death, her husband said such a shameful thing, after which thousands, lakhs of Sikhs were killed in broad daylight. What did Rajiv Gandhi say? He said, 'When a big tree falls, the earth shakes.' Unarmed Sikhs were brutally murdered in broad daylight, and Sonia Gandhi shed no tears. Now she says that Sanjay Gandhi alone was responsible for the entire episode. How surprising! Are these the values? Showing one brother as innocent and blaming the other."

The minister also raised questions on the National Herald case, the working of the UPA government led by Manmohan Singh, and the corruption allegations against it.

Sarang said, "She is not telling why she committed fraud in the National Herald case. She is not telling why her son-in-law allegedly grabbed farmers' land in Haryana, and how she ran the Manmohan Singh government from behind the scenes as a super prime minister. She is not telling why so many corruption allegations were levelled against that government, and how she allegedly sent out of the country many sensitive pieces of information about India, including intelligence. She should also clarify these matters."

He said, "I would say this is just a publicity stunt, an attempt to make the book a superhit. It is a failed attempt to improve the Nehru family's image so that her son can move ahead in politics. Sonia Gandhi should avoid presenting such misleading facts."

Meanwhile, on the proposed Ayodhya visit of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Sarang said he welcomes everyone who comes to Ayodhya and has darshan of Lord Ram. However, he said Yadav should first pay tribute to the kar sevaks killed in police firing in Ayodhya in 1990 and apologise for that incident.

Sarang said, "If Akhilesh Yadav goes to Ayodhya, he should first pay tribute to the kar sevaks killed during his father Mulayam Singh Yadav's government, express regret and apologise. Only then will his visit to Ayodhya be meaningful."

He accused the SP leader of going to Ayodhya for electoral gain and claimed that the Yadav family had obstructed the construction of the Ram temple.