What Congress claims Penguin wanted cut from Sonia Gandhi’s memoir
4 min readNew DelhiSep 1, 2026 09:51 PM IST
First published on: Aug 28, 2026 at 09:43 PM IST
Senior Congress leaders on Friday alleged that Penguin India was pressured to remove from Sonia Gandhi’s memoir “portions related to Modi, RSS, and the occupation of Indian territory by China during Modi’s rule”.
This came a day after The Indian Express first reported that Penguin Random House India would not publish Gandhi’s memoir, Belonging: a Journey of Love, in the country. The report said the publisher wanted certain “editorial changes and deletions” in “a part of the manuscript”, but Gandhi refused. The release, scheduled for November 10, was first announced by US-based publisher Alfred A Knopf, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group that is a division of Penguin Random House.
“The main thing that the publisher wanted to be edited or removed is about China and Modi and the RSS,” former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot told The Indian Express. “It is because of government intervention. They want to finish off the freedom of expression of an individual. She is such a tall leader, has been the LoP (Leader of Opposition) and NAC (National Advisory Council) chairperson. She is writing facts; she is not writing a story. It is about her life and experiences. How can you deny facts and censor facts?”
Gehlot added that he had not “seen or read” the manuscript and hadn’t spoken to Gandhi about it.
Penguin’s statement
In a statement, Penguin Random House India admitted it was 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.
“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.
“We will not comment further on confidential discussions with the author.”
Earlier in the day, Gehlot posted on X, “After all, what is the reason or what pressure is there that what is being published across the world cannot be published in India? Sonia Gandhi ji’s life is an example of sacrifice and dedication. The integrity and dignity with which she has served the country is exemplary.”
Former Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath also weighed in on the controversy, saying the publisher’s decision “is a matter of extreme 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. The publication of Mrs Gandhi’s autobiography should happen soon,” he wrote on X.
With Penguin India out, several Indian publishers are now in the fray and HarperCollins is reported to be close to finalising the agreement to publish and distribute the book in India.
