Sonia Gandhi memoir row: Congress leaders slam Penguin India - 'Murder of freedom of expression'

Several Congress leaders lashed out at Penguin Random House India on Friday, accusing it of refusing to publish Sonia Gandhi's memoir in India.

Some senior Congress leaders claimed the pressure was put on the publishing house to remove portions related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and "the occupation of Indian territory by China during Modi's rule".

The RSS is the ideological fountainhead of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the party in power at the Centre since 2014. The Congress leaders also said the publisher's "refusal" to publish the autobiography is a "murder of freedom of expression" and a matter of grave concern.

Their reaction came after Penguin Random House India issued a statement saying it is not the publisher of Gandhi's memoir "Belonging: A Journey of Love".

Earlier this month, American publisher Alfred A Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House, announced that the book would be released on 10 November.

Penguin statement

"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," Penguin India said.

Its statement followed a report in the Indian Express, which claimed that the publisher backed out after Gandhi refused "editorial changes" to the manuscript.

Gehlot calls it murder of freedom of expression

Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot was among the first to react.

“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?” Gehlot asked.

Sonia Gandhi's life is an example of sacrifice and dedication, and the integrity and dignity with which she has served the country are exemplary, he said.

"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," Gehlot said.

The real issue is that pressure was put on Penguin India to remove the portions related to Modi, the RSS, and the occupation of Indian territory by China during Modi's rule. This is the murder of democracy, he claimed.

"Why is this truth being hidden from the people of India? Will the Modi government alter even the facts by pressuring publishers?" Gehlot said.

Matter of grave concern: Kamal Nath

Senior party leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath 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? Even before this, the publication of some important books has been stopped under suspicious circumstances. I consider this kind of trend a serious threat to the freedom of expression," Nath said in his post in Hindi.

The publication of Gandhi's autobiography should happen soon, he added.

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 read by the people of India," Gogoi said on X.

'Dear SOLD Penguin'

Indian Youth Congress slammed the publication house, saying, "Dear SOLD Penguin, nobody asked whether you were 'keen'. Tell us what changes you wanted, and why. The rest is corporate grammar."

In another post, IYC took a dig and posted, "Introducing Penguin Janta Party" and also "Penguin hai ya pinjare ka parinda".

Taking a swipe at the government, Kerala Congress, from its official X handle, said, "Peacock blocking penguin is just an old man's fantasy. Nothing can stop 'Belonging' from reaching you."

Penguin Random House India said that even though they were "willing and keen to publish the book", it is their "prerogative and responsibility to fact check authors and provide recommendations" as 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. We will not comment further on confidential discussions with the author," the statement added.

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 ₹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.

The 79-year-old 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.

The other incidents

Earlier in June, PRHI had dropped journalist and author Joe Sacco's graphic novel on Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013 after taking into account "local legal, regulatory, commercial, and market considerations".

Reports had suggested that the publisher pulled the plug on the book's distribution over "an inaccurate map" and that "no changes are forthcoming" from the originating publisher.

The publisher also made headlines in February for saying that it had "not printed" former Army Chief General M M Naravane's memoir "Four Stars of Destiny". This was days after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi flashed a hard copy of the book in Parliament.

(With agency inputs)