Penguin Random House India has denied allegations that external pressure influenced its decision not to publish Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s memoir in India. The publisher said on Monday that discussions over Belonging: A Journey of Love reached an impasse over “a particular issue” during the normal editorial process. PRHI said the matter could not be resolved with the author’s representatives, who subsequently decided not to proceed with the publication.
The publisher has declined to disclose details of the disagreement, citing contractual obligations and author confidentiality, while rejecting claims of outside intervention.
The clarification comes amid controversy over the Indian publication of Gandhi’s much-anticipated memoir. The book is set for worldwide release on November 10 through Alfred A Knopf, a US-based imprint of Penguin Random House.
Several Congress leaders have raised concerns about alleged government pressure and freedom of expression. Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot claimed pressure was put on Penguin India to remove sections relating to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the RSS and China’s occupation of Indian territory during the Modi government.
PRHI spokesperson Pallavi Narayan said the publisher had been keen to publish the memoir, describing it as a “hard-won acquisition”. She said the book was confidential and under embargo and stressed that there had been “no external pressure whatsoever”.
The publisher said the manuscript went through its normal editorial process, during which several points were discussed with the author’s representatives. While some changes were accepted and the author’s position was accepted on others, an agreement could not ultimately be reached on one particular issue.
The author’s team then informed PRHI that they did not want to continue with the publication.
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Penguin India defended its editorial role, saying it was its responsibility to assess manuscripts, ask questions, make recommendations and exercise independent editorial judgement. It said the same process was followed with Belonging.
The controversy intensified after reports that PRHI had backed out of publishing the memoir following disagreements over proposed editorial changes. Opposition leaders and social media users criticised the publisher, while former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath questioned whether outside pressure had played a role.
Gandhi’s memoir is expected to cover her childhood in post-war Italy, her marriage into the Nehru-Gandhi family, the assassination of her husband Rajiv Gandhi and her entry into politics. The book has attracted considerable attention ahead of its international release.
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