Political Clash Erupts After Penguin Random House India Declines to Publish Sonia Gandhi's Memoir

Penguin Random House India has clarified that it will not be publishing Sonia Gandhi's memoir, titled Belonging. The decision has sparked a political dispute between the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). According to reports, the deal fell through after Gandhi refused to make editorial changes or deletions regarding references to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and Chinese intrusions. Penguin Random House India stated that it remains keen to publish the book and that it is the publisher's responsibility to fact check and provide recommendations in the best interests of the work. The publisher denied that the decision was based solely on the author's refusal of editorial changes.

Congress leaders have alleged that the publisher succumbed to pressure from the Union government. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot questioned why the Indian arm of the publisher sought changes if Penguin Worldwide was prepared to publish the original form globally. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi argued that the BJP government is afraid of the book being read, noting that the publisher has released other works such as Prime Minister Modi's Exam Warriors.

The BJP has rejected these claims, describing the Congress narrative as hypocritical. BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi stated that whether the book is a memoir or fiction is a matter for the author and publisher to decide. BJP National Spokesperson CR Kesavan questioned why certain portions of the memoir required fact checking and cited a 2014 autobiography by N. Natwar Singh to suggest that the Nehru Gandhi family has previously been apprehensive about published accounts of events.