The Janata Dal-United (JD-U) on Wednesday, 11 November sharply rebutted former Congress President Sonia Gandhi's portrayal of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in her memoir 'Belonging: A Journey of Love', asserting that Kumar was, in fact, the principal architect of the INDIA alliance and the central figure who persuaded rival opposition factions to unite under a single umbrella.

JD-U's Core Rebuttal

Sanjay Kumar Jha, JD-U's National Working President, addressed reporters in Patna and flatly rejected the memoir's claims. He said a troubling new culture has taken root within the Congress, where senior leaders make 'personal and highly trivial remarks' against politicians who have devoted their lives to public service. The memoir's assertion that Kumar departed the INDIA bloc for 'flimsy reasons' was, Jha said, 'outrightly baseless and fallacious.'

Jha also pointed to what he described as Congress's duplicity, citing Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's recent remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an event in Patna as further evidence of the party's combative internal culture.

Nitish Kumar as INDIA Bloc Founder, Says JD-U

'It was Nitish Kumar who laid the foundation for the INDIA alliance — it was through his initiative and the trust placed in him that the opposition parties came together,' Jha said. He noted that Kumar travelled extensively across the country to bring various opposition leaders on board, and that the alliance's first formal meeting was held in Patna at his initiative. JD-U's account directly contradicts the memoir's framing of Kumar as a reluctant and disposable participant.

Jha also invoked history, reminding reporters that Kumar was imprisoned for two years during the Congress-imposed Emergency, making Sonia Gandhi's characterisation of him, he argued, all the more 'petty and regrettable.'

What Sonia Gandhi's Memoir Claims

According to reports, Sonia Gandhi's autobiography alleges that Nitish Kumar was always looking for an opportunity to leave the INDIA bloc and was 'under the control of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).' The memoir frames his eventual exit from the alliance as a reflection of his divided loyalties rather than any failure of the coalition itself.

JD-U Spokesperson Doubles Down

Rajeev Ranjan Prasad, JD-U's National Spokesperson, accused Sonia Gandhi of 'misleading readers with unverified information' about the INDIA bloc's formation and Kumar's exit. Prasad maintained that several regional parties were initially apprehensive about joining a Congress-led alliance, and it was Kumar who persuaded them to participate. 'He brought the parties together, following which the first meeting of the INDIA alliance was also held in Patna,' Prasad said.

Prasad offered a pointed alternative explanation for Kumar's departure: competing ambitions and divergent regional political interests within Congress and its allies, he argued, made it evident that the grouping lacked the cohesion to mount a credible challenge to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). 'That is why Nitish Kumar left the INDIA bloc,' he said.

Significance and What Comes Next

The row over Sonia Gandhi's memoir reopens old fault lines in Indian opposition politics, arriving at a moment when the INDIA alliance is already under pressure ahead of several state elections. JD-U's forceful response signals that the Bihar-based party — now a key NDA constituent — is unwilling to let the Congress-era narrative about Kumar's role go unchallenged. Whether the Congress officially responds to JD-U's rebuttal is likely to determine how far this war of words escalates.