When Maneka Anand married Sanjay Gandhi in 1974, she became part of a family deeply intertwined with the country’s politics. Less than a decade later, she would leave the household following a dispute with her mother-in-law, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, setting off a public confrontation. Looking back, Sonia Gandhi likens the events to a “reality show”.

In her memoir ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’, Sonia revisits Maneka’s arrival in the Gandhi household, the disagreements that followed, Sanjay’s growing political ambitions, and the events after his death in 1980 that led to Maneka’s departure.

Towards the end of 1973, Sanjay was introduced to Maneka, whom Sonia describes as “a pretty and vivacious girl, ten years younger than him and still a minor”.…