New Delhi, Nov. 10 -- Congress leaders on Tuesday defended Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi's newly released memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, rejecting BJP criticism over her reflections on the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition and noting that BJP leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani had expressed similar regret at the time.

The release of the book on Tuesday ignited a sharp political row, with the BJP accusing Gandhi of "whitewashing" historical wrongs, while Congress leaders accused the ruling party of trying to give the memoir a political angle.

Speaking to ANI, Congress leader Salman Khurshid said the Congress was in government when the Babri Masjid was demolished, and there was "very deep regret among everyone," i...