New Delhi, November 11, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has written in her newly released memoir that former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was looking for an opportunity to leave the INDIA Opposition bloc and was under the “control” of the BJP.
In Belonging: A Journey of Love, released on November 10 by HarperCollins India, Sonia reflects on the formation of the INDIA bloc, the challenges of keeping Opposition parties united and the political setbacks the alliance faced ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
She acknowledges Nitish Kumar’s initial role in bringing Opposition parties together but points to his decision in January 2024 to leave the Grand Alliance in Bihar and return to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as a major setback for Opposition unity.
The 544-page memoir also revisits an earlier political exchange involving Sonia Gandhi and Nitish Kumar, which has resurfaced following the book’s release.
According to reports, at a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting held on September 29-30, 2026, senior party leader Digvijaya Singh argued that the Congress should not have allowed Nitish to leave the INDIA bloc. He reportedly suggested that the country’s political situation might have been different had the Bihar leader remained with the Opposition.
Sonia is said to have responded that the party was fortunate Nitish had left when he did, as he had been looking for an opportunity to exit the alliance. She reportedly also maintained that he was under the BJP’s control.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge reportedly backed her assessment, saying Nitish had wanted to leave from the beginning and that his bid to become the bloc’s convenor was merely a pretence.
The memoir, which also discusses Sonia Gandhi’s interactions with several prominent political figures, has drawn attention for its account of key developments in Indian politics.
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