It has severely criticised the Gandhi family scion - Sanjay Gandhi - for his “arbitrary and authoritarian” role in the dark days of the Emergency. For decades, Congress had preferred caution while discussing Sanjay Gandhi’s role even though he was at times roundly criticised for several of his policies.

Though Congress said that the then government led by Indira Gandhi had decided to pursue coercive policies of the former Prime Minister’s younger son, it did not spare Ms Gandhi and said “unlimited state and party power was concentrated in the hands of the Prime Minister,” The Congress thus attempts to resolve the dual purpose of candidly rendering apology for the dark days of the Emergency and making Sanjay Gandhi fall from grace, whose son Varun Gandhi has joined the rival party - BJP.

The two-volume book ‘Congress and the Making of the Indian Nation’ released by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi at the recent plenary session of the party to commemorate 125 anniversary of the party also highlights Rajiv Gandhi’s troubles with the elder leaders.

In his anxiety to make quick changes, Rajiv Gandhi “shuffled and reshuffled” his team both in the party and the government frequently. “The promises of reform in the party which he made in his famous Bombay speech as a corollary to attack ‘power brokers’ in the party, could not be fulfilled. Party elections, long overdue, were put off again and again,” the book said.

The book made no critical reference to the first Prime Minister of the country, Pt Jawaharlal Nehru but while dealing with the pre-Independence era, admitted that he saw merit in Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s arguments and yet chose to go alongwith the Mahatma Gandhi.

The Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is the chief editor of the book while the Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma is the convener of the editorial board, which includes historians Aditya Mukherjee, Mridula ukherjee, Sucheta Mahajan, Rizwan Qaiser and Bhashyam Kasturi. The Delhi-based Academic Foundation published the book. It is the fifth of a series planned during the 1985 centenary celebrations under Rajiv Gandhi’s leadership.

According to the book, the former Prime Minister, PV Narasimha Rao is not only acknowledged for his contribution towards economic reforms, but has also been exonerated on the Babri Masjid demolition.

The book has devoted a full chapter to Narasimha Rao Government-the Phase of Economic reforms. The Congress, which had earlier emerged as a champion of Democratic Socialism, now claims to be a harbinger of Economic Liberalisation..

The chapter begins by describing Rao as “the first person outside the Nehru-Gandhi family to serve as Prime Minister for five continuous years’’. It goes on to note: “He was also the first Prime Minister from South India.’’

Under the sub-heading ‘Demolition of Babri Masjid and Resurgence of Communalism’, the book squarely blames the BJP and the VHP for the demolition. It said that the then UP Chief Minister, Kalyan Singh and BJP leaders at the Centre repeatedly assured the Supreme Court and the Parliament that Babri Masjid would be protected but “looked on’’ as the structure was brought down.

The book also said : the “choice before the government was-firing on the crowd which would have led to a violent Hindu backlash; non-intervention which would leave communal forces unchecked. On December 7, the government announced a ban on all communal oranganistions.’’ (That’s action taken by Rao, which includes “sacking of Kalyan Singh Ministry’’.) It also quotes a resolution taken up for discussion at the June 10, 1994 AICC meeting under Rao leadership which termed the event of December 6, 1992 as “a permanent blot on the nation’s history’’ and in which party-workers are told “to foil the designs of the communal parties.’’

While referring to the Emergency period, which had seen the suspension of fundamental rights, enforcement of press censorship, arrest of political leaders and other suppressive measures, the book severely criticised Sanjay Gandhi's coercive family planning experiment during the Emergency - calling it arbitrary and authoritarian.

”Over enthusiasm led to compulsion in enforcement of programmes like compulsory sterilisation and clearance of slums,“ the book said and added 'Sanjay promoted slum clearance, anti dowry measures and promotion of literacy...but in an arbitrary and authoritarian manner. This led to much to the annoyance of the popular opinion.'

According to the book, while vast sections of the population welcomed the moves initially since general administration improved, “civil rights activists took exception to the curbs on freedom of expression and personal liberties. Unfortunately, in certain spheres, over-enthusiasm led to compulsion in enforcement of certain programmes like compulsory sterilisation and clearing of slums”.