In the 1.28-minute video, Ms. Gandhi is seen sifting through the pages of her memoir and thinking aloud, “I don’t know if I should tell the whole story,” she says. Photo: X/@SoniaGandhi
The publication of her memoir is bound to create some “tamasha”, but it will allow her to set the record straight and tell her story, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi said on Tuesday (October 27, 2026).
“There’s bound to be some tamasha when this book comes out. After all, others have spent decades telling my ‘story’, now it’s my turn,” Ms. Gandhi said in a post on X on Tuesday, sharing a video offering a glimpse of her memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, scheduled for release on November 10.
In the 1.28-minute video, along with the post, Ms. Gandhi is seen going through the pages and reflecting on whether she should tell her entire story.
“I don’t know if I should tell the whole story,” she says, before recalling the time her late husband, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was asked to become Prime Minister. “When my husband was asked to become the Prime Minister, which I was totally against….,” she said, as the video moves on.
“People have different views; some people may change their views about me. Some people’s views may become worse, but that is what it is, that is what happens when you write a book or when you are in public life. There is bound to be a ‘tamasha’ as you say it here,” Ms. Gandhi says.
Her remarks in the video were interspersed with footage of key moments from her life — from her marriage to Rajiv to his assassination. There were also glimpses of Sonia Gandhi attending AICC meetings, as well as her photographs with Rajiv and her two children — Rahul and Priyanka.
In her debut post on X on Saturday (October 23), Ms. Gandhi described her late husband and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi as a very good-looking and gentle person. She shared her memories of their life as she made her debut on the social media platform X.
Ms. Gandhi made her Instagram debut last Thursday (October 22) with posts on her upcoming book, which she described as a “story of love, duty, loss and finding a place to belong”.
This was Ms. Gandhi’s first foray into social media. Over the years, she has been using the Congress’ X handle to release her video statements or other messages and letters that she wished to make public.
Last month, HarperCollins India said it will publish Ms. Gandhi’s 544-page memoir “Belonging: A Journey of Love” in India on November 10, ending the uncertainty over the book’s domestic publication following an “impasse” between the author’s representatives and Penguin Random House India (PRHI).
Exaggerated writings
“Well, I felt that since a lot had been written about me and a lot of it was not quite correct. It was either invented or exaggerated. So, it gave me a feel of being able to now put down my story and describe facts and things as they really were,” Ms. Gandhi added.
People have different views about her, and some of them may change after reading her book, while others may become worse, she said.
“…That is what happens when you write a book, or when you are in public life. There is bound to be a ‘tamasha’ as you say it here,” Ms. Gandhi said.
The video intersperses her remarks with photographs and footage from her life, including her marriage to Rajiv Gandhi, his assassination, Congress meetings and family moments with their children, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Ms. Gandhi joined X last week, after years of using the Congress’s official account to issue video statements and release letters and messages.
Published – October 27, 2026 08:34 pm IST
