Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson, Sonia Gandhi’s memoir “Belonging: A Journey of Love” is embroiled in a controversy even before it has hit the shelves in India. According to Congress sources, the party alleged that the issue – of memoir not being published – is not with the book itself, but with certain sections by writer on PM Modi, RSS and China.
Sources say that the memoir contains references to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, China’s alleged occupation of Indian territory and the influence of the RSS over key institutions. They claimed that these are the portions that have caused discomfort, and accused Penguin India of not being transparent about the reasons behind the dispute.
The party maintained that the real controversy centres on the content of the book rather than the publishing process.
The controversy reportedly surrounds over publisher’s prerogative to fact check the author and suggest recommendations.
What Penguin Random House India Says on Sonia Gandhi’s Memoir
Penguin Random House India, earlier today, said it had been keen to publish Sonia Gandhi’s memoir “Belonging: A Journey of Love” throughout “the relevant discussions” but it is their “prerogative and responsibility” to fact check authors.
Mentioning that it is not the publisher of the book in India, PRHI said in a statement days after American publisher Alfred A Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House, announced that “Belonging” would release on November 10.
Penguin Random House India’s statement came after a media report claimed that the publisher backed out after Gandhi refused “editorial changes” to the manuscript.
“Penguin Random House India is not the publisher of Belonging in India. Any suggestion that Penguin Random House India decided not to publish Belonging because the author declined editorial changes does not accurately reflect the circumstances,” the company said.
“As a publisher, it is both our prerogative and our responsibility to fact check and provide authors with recommendations that are in the best interests of their books. This is a normal part of the publishing process. Throughout the relevant discussions, Penguin Random House India’s position was that we remained willing and keen to publish the book,” it said.
The statement, which led to several Congress leaders bringing up issues of governmental pressure and freedom of expression, added that the company will not comment further on “confidential discussions with the author”.
Memoir Distribution in India Remains Uncertain, eBook Listed on Amazon
Even as the status of the book’s distributor in India remains uncertain, a page on e-commerce website Amazon showed an ebook version of “Belonging” up for pre-order at Rs 2,615.
According to the e-commerce website, the e-book is published by William Collins, an imprint of HarperCollins UK. The book’s India release has been a matter of much speculation since Alfred A Knopf’s announcement.
What We Know About Sonia Gandhi’s Memoir “Belonging”
The Congress leader, one of India’s most discussed political figures, will be sharing her intimate story of marrying into one of India’s most powerful political families, the tragedy of losing Rajiv Gandhi that threw her into the “public world of politics” and turning down prime ministership in 2004 among other things, according to Alfred A Knopf.
Gandhi, 79, who has rarely shared her private life in public forums, narrates her life, “from her childhood in post-war Italy, to the romance that brings her to India, to the shattering losses that will reshape not only her own future but also that of her adopted home”, it said.
Several Congress leaders lashed out at PRHI, asking what prevented it from publishing the memoir in India when it was being published worldwide by its imprint.
Ashok Gehlot, Kamal Nath Target Penguin India
Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said “pressuring and stopping” the book is akin to “murdering the freedom of expression”.
He claimed that pressure was put on Penguin India “to remove sections on Modi, RSS and those related to the occupation of Indian territory by China during the Modi regime”.
Senior party leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath also said the publisher’s “refusal” to publish the autobiography is a matter of grave concern.
“Will the publisher decide what a senior figure like Mrs. Gandhi will write and what she will not? The question also arises whether the publisher is saying this on its own or if there is pressure from someone on it?” Nath said in his post on X in Hindi.
Congress’ deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi slammed Penguin India’s statement on the issue as “weak”.
“Such a weak statement. Penguin India is more than happy to publish ‘Exam Warriors’ and several books on RSS. No doubt there are those in the BJP government who have now become afraid of a book being being read by the people of India,” Gogoi said on X.
PRHI is the Indian subsidiary/operating company of Penguin Random House (PRH), the global publishing group.
With inputs from PTI