'Nitish Kumar was looking for ways to exit INDIA Bloc': Sonia Gandhi in memoir

New Delhi, Nov 11
Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi's memoir, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love', was released on November 10. Published by HarperCollins India, the 544-page book chronicles her personal life and several significant turning points in Indian politics. It also discusses her relationships with prominent leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former President Pranab Mukherjee and former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, triggering discussions in political circles.

In her autobiography, Sonia Gandhi writes that Nitish Kumar was looking for an opportunity to exit the INDIA Bloc and was under the 'control' of the BJP. She discusses his political moves in the context of the broader challenges faced by the Opposition in maintaining unity rather than portraying them as a personal conflict.

The book also details the formation of the INDIA Bloc, the difficulties in keeping Opposition parties together and the setbacks the alliance faced ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Sonia Gandhi writes about how Nitish Kumar initially played an active role in bringing Opposition parties together. However, in January 2024, he walked out of the Grand Alliance and once again joined hands with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), forming a government with the BJP in Bihar.

She places this development in the context of the breakdown of Opposition unity and the significant political setbacks suffered by the camp before the Lok Sabha elections.

Meanwhile, an old remark attributed to Sonia Gandhi, "Thank God, he left", has resurfaced on social media and in political circles following the release of her autobiography. The statement is linked to discussions at a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting held on September 29-30.

According to reports, during the September 2026 CWC meeting, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh argued that the party should not have allowed Nitish Kumar to leave the INDIA Bloc. He reportedly said the country's political situation could have been different had Nitish remained with the Opposition alliance.

Responding to Singh, Sonia Gandhi reportedly remarked that the party was fortunate Nitish had left in time, as he was destined to quit and had constantly been looking for an opportunity to exit the alliance.

At the meeting, Sonia Gandhi also alleged that Nitish Kumar was under the BJP's control. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge agreed with her assessment, saying Nitish had wanted to leave the alliance from the very beginning and that his attempt to become the Bloc's convener was merely pretence.