Sonia Gandhi memoir | Authors and publishers weigh in on dispute over ‘Belonging’

Penguin Random House India was originally expected to publish Sonia Gandhi’s memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love , in India. During its editorial/ legal review, Penguin says it raised concerns about parts of the manuscript and suggested changes and/ or deletions. While sources suggest the disputed material may have had to do with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the RSS, China’s occupation of Indian territory and so forth, Penguin has not confirmed the same.

After Gandhi’s representatives did not agree to the proposed changes, the publisher said the discussions reached an impasse over “a particular issue”, following which they decided to not proceed with the Indian publication. Since then, a political controversy has erupted over whether government pressure played a role. Penguin has denied any external pressure, saying its editorial review was part of the normal publishing process.