NEW DELHI: Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has alleged that the Narendra Modi government has caused "great damage" to India's democracy, institutions and the country's social fabric over the past 12 years, warning that restoring the systems even after the government leaves office would require considerable time and effort.

In an interview with a national daily ahead of the November 10 launch of her memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, the former Congress president said people were increasingly recognising the damage and becoming restless. However, she expressed optimism that Indians would welcome a return to what she described as proper governance.

"Over the last twelve years great damage has been done to the fabric of our country, our democracy and our institutions. Even after this government goes, it will take time to restore our systems back to health and great effort from political parties," she said.

Asked about the decline of the Congress and her assessment of its present condition and prospects, Gandhi said, "I am not so pessimistic. Consider that the Congress party and other opposition parties have not had a level playing field since this government came to power.

"Take into account the complete stranglehold they have on all institutions, especially the Election Commission, their control of mainstream media, their money power and their exploitation of religion."

"Yet, our party is fighting and making progress; in fact, it is the only party that has had the resilience to withstand this onslaught," Gandhi said.

She alleged that Congress workers and leaders "have faced persecution of all kinds".

"And yet, in every village and every district, Congressmen and women are still fighting for the values enshrined in our Constitution," she said.

"What is more, it has been amply proved in recent months that many elections have been stolen, and people are now more aware of it," she alleged. "The Congress is working with like-minded parties, and our prospects are improving day by day," she said.

'Belonging: A Journey of Love', published by HarperCollins India, is a personal memoir, with politics providing the background or "a kind of framework", as she puts it in the book.

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi and what lessons the Congress should draw from his rise, Gandhi said, "It's true that he comes from a very different ideological world. But there are many ways that people succeed in politics within the Congress party, take for example Dr. Manmohan Singh and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. I don't think we have much to learn from the RSS."

On whether she wonders how UPA policies and Congress strategy might have differed had she accepted to become prime minister in 2004, Gandhi said, "No, not at all. That has never crossed my mind. Our experience was by and large a very positive one. We worked as a team, and our roles were distinct, with him (Singh) leading the government and I leading the party."

Last month, Sonia had said that others have spent decades telling her story and now it's her turn. She had also said there is bound to be some "tamasha" when her memoir comes out on November 10.

The 544-page memoir, published by HarperCollins India, is a personal account of Gandhi's life, with politics serving as its backdrop. It traces her childhood in post-war Veneto, Italy, her meeting with Rajiv Gandhi in Cambridge in 1965, their marriage and her transition to life in India.

The book also recounts major personal tragedies, including the deaths of Sanjay Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and examines the political developments surrounding the Congress-led alliance's victory in the 2004 general elections, when Sonia Gandhi declined the prime minister's post.

The memoir's Indian publication follows an earlier impasse between Gandhi's representatives and Penguin Random House India, which had initially expressed interest in publishing it but later withdrew. The development triggered allegations by some Congress leaders that the publisher had faced government pressure over references to Modi, the RSS and China's occupation of Indian territory. Penguin Random House India denied any external pressure, saying it had stepped away following a stalemate over a particular issue.

Gandhi had earlier said that others had spent decades telling her story and that it was now her turn to tell it. She had also indicated that the memoir's release would generate considerable public and political attention.