Congress leaders have claimed that Penguin Random House India has been "pressured" to drop Sonia Gandhi's memoir, inviting a sharp response from the ruling BJP.
The war of words began after Penguin Random House India on Friday said it was not the publisher of the book, "Belonging: A Journey of Love", days after American publisher Alfred A Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House, announced that the memoir would release on November 10. It said it had been keen to publish the memoir throughout "the relevant discussions", but it is their "prerogative and responsibility" to fact-check authors, a statement that came amid reports that the leading publisher backed out after Sonia Gandhi refused "editorial" changes.
Gaurav Gogoi, Congress' deputy leader in Lok Sabha, slammed Penguin India's statement and called it "weak".
"Such a weak statement. Penguin India is more than happy to publish 'Exam Warriors' and several books on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) RSS. No doubt there are those in the BJP government who have now become afraid of a book being read by the people of India," he wrote on X.
Such a weak statement.
— Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) August 28, 2026
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. https://t.co/JvmXD8FZV6
Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot asked Penguin Random House India what was preventing it from publishing the memoir in India when it is being published worldwide by its imprint.
"Penguin Worldwide is ready to publish Smt. Sonia Gandhi Ji's upcoming book worldwide in its original form, but Penguin Random House India wants changes made to launch it in India. After all, what is the reason or what pressure is there that what is being published across the world cannot be published in India?," he posted on X.
Penguin Worldwide is ready to publish Smt. Sonia Gandhi ji's upcoming book worldwide in its original form, but Penguin Random House India wants changes made to launch it in India. After all, what is the reason or what pressure is there that what is being published across the…
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) August 28, 2026
"Suppressing the book of Smt Sonia Gandhi Ji, a person of such stature, a senior leader of the nation, and former Leader of the Opposition, under pressure is tantamount to the murder of freedom of expression," the former Rajasthan chief minister added.
BJP's Response
The BJP said the Congress leaders were trying to "spin stories and manufacture a false narrative of fear" over the memoir.
These attempts are "not merely ironic, they are glaringly hypocritical", BJP's national spokesperson CR Kesavan said.
"The moot point in the context of Smt. Sonia Gandhi's memoirs is : which portions of her memoir warranted fact-checking and why so?," he said in response to Gogoi's statement.
The attempts by Congress leaders to spin stories and manufacture a false narrative of fear over the release of Smt. Sonia Gandhi's memoir are not merely ironic — they are glaringly hypocritical. Excerpts from the late Shri. K. Natwar Singh's 2014 autobiography ‘One Life Is Not… pic.twitter.com/Jye8sbjXde
— C.R.Kesavan (@crkesavan) August 29, 2026
Another BJP leader Ajay Alok slammed Congress for "not placing facts" in the book.
"It's not a matter of bowing down. It's a matter of shame that even in writing a book you are not placing facts and figures. That's why publishers are not ready to publish it. Because verification has to be done, credibility has to be maintained," he said.
RSS, China, PM Modi's Work Among Major Flashpoints
Three sets of passages in Sonia Gandhi's memoir were at the centre of discussions between the Congress leader and Penguin Random House India before the publisher decided not to publish the book, Congress sources have told NDTV.
The first was the China border dispute. The book, the sources said, deals prominently with Chinese incursions into Indian territory and with the present situation on the border.
The second issue was about Sonia Gandhi questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and working style, and several major policies of the central government, the sources said.
The third is the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the parent body of the BJP and an organisation PM Modi worked in before switching to full-time politics. The memoir carries her views on the influence of the RSS on national affairs and on India's social fabric, according to sources.
When Penguin India proposed that certain passages be edited or removed, Sonia Gandhi declined, taking the position that the facts and views in the book rest on her own experience and perspective and were therefore not open to alteration, they added.
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