Veteran Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Sonia Gandhi's memoir 'Belonging: A Journey of Love' will be published by HarperCollins India after Penguin Random House India (PRHI) backed out, said the publisher on Friday. The long-awaited memoir will be published on November 10.
"One of the most anticipated political memoirs of our time, Belonging is a dramatic and deeply personal story of love, identity, duty and belonging, and offers a rare insider's view of India’s journey," it said on X (previously Twitter).
The book was to be released on November 10, but the PRHI decided against publishing it, with reports suggesting that the publisher had sought changes. However, it later issued a clarification it is not a publisher of the memoir in India. It also rejected reports it had not requested the author to make editorial changes in the book.
"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," the PRHI's statement read.
Congress leaders criticise PRHI; it issues clarification
However, Congress leaders criticised the PRHI and alleged that the publisher was facing pressure from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the central government. They also slammed PRHI's clarification and claimed the publisher was happy in publishing books on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), but has issues in publishing a book on Congress.
"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?" Madhya Pradesh's former Chief Minister Kamal Nath had said in Hindi on X.
But later, the PRHI denied it was facing external pressure as the book remains "under embargo" and its content is "confidential". It said the author accepted some changes, while the publisher agreed to their position on others.
"We feel it is important for us to correct certain misrepresentations regarding the forthcoming memoir 'Belonging'. This is a book that we at Penguin Random House India, were really keen on publishing as it was a hard-won acquisition," PRHI spokesperson Pallavi Narayan told news agency PTI earlier this week.
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