Penguin India drops Sonia Gandhi memoir over comments on Modi, RSS and China
Congress leaders on 28 August accused PRHI of succumbing to pressure over the publication of the memoir.
Highlights
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Congress leaders accuse publisher of yielding pressure
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Dispute centres on proposed editorial changes
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Memoir expected to be released in November
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Penguin Random House India (PRHI) will not publish Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's much-awaited memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love in India in India, amid a dispute over proposed editorial changes to the text.
Congress leaders on 28 August accused PRHI of succumbing to pressure over the publication of the memoir.
Senior party leader Ashok Gehlot alleged that the publisher had sought to remove passages critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and China's alleged "occupation" of Indian territory.
PRHI, however, said it is "not the publisher" of the 544-page memoir, which is expected to hit the stands on 10 November.
Although PRHI has withdrawn from publishing the book in India, the memoir is expected to be published in other parts of the world.
Other publishers are reportedly seeking the rights to publish the memoir in India, including HarperCollins UK, which is publishing the book in the UK.
In a statement, PRHI said suggestions that it had decided not to publish the memoir because Sonia Gandhi refused to accept editorial changes "does not accurately" reflect the circumstances.
"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.
Reacting to the development, Gehlot posted on X: "This is an attack on democracy. Why should this truth be hidden from the people of India? Will the Modi government also force publishers to alter facts under pressure? Why should a situation arise in India where one needs permission even to write the truth in a book?"
Earlier this year, PRHI said it had "not printed" former Indian Army chief General MM Naravane's memoir Four Stars of Destiny after controversy erupted over the book.
