Sonia Gandhi memoir row: HarperCollins India to publish ‘Belonging’ on November 10

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. FILE PIC

HarperCollins India on Friday announced that it will publish Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, in India on November 10, ending uncertainty over the book's domestic publication following an "impasse" between the author's representatives and Penguin Random House India, news agency PTI reported.

"One of the most anticipated political memoirs of our time, Belonging is a dramatic and deeply personal story of love, identity, duty and belonging, and offers a rare insider's view of India's journey," HarperCollins India said in a statement.

The announcement comes amid a controversy involving Penguin Random House India (PRHI), which had initially been keen to publish the memoir but later said it would not be the Indian publisher.

The controversy began following reports of differences between the publisher and the author's representatives over editorial changes to the manuscript.

Several Congress leaders raised concerns over alleged governmental pressure and freedom of expression, with some claiming there was pressure on Penguin India to remove sections relating to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the RSS and China's occupation of Indian territory during the Modi regime.

In an exclusive statement to PTI last week, PRHI clarified that it was "really keen" to publish the book, describing it as a "hard-won acquisition", but ultimately decided to step away due to a stalemate over "a particular issue".

While maintaining that there was "no external pressure whatsoever," PRHI declined to disclose the exact nature of the impasse, citing confidentiality clauses and its agreement with the author.

"On some, they agreed to changes and on others, we accepted the author's position. Unfortunately, and ultimately, an understanding could not be reached on a particular issue," said PRHI, the Indian subsidiary/operating company of Penguin Random House (PRH), the global publishing group.

With HarperCollins India now set to publish the memoir domestically, Belonging will be available in India alongside its international release on November 10 by Alfred A Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Sonia Gandhi's journey from Italy to India

Belonging begins with Gandhi's childhood in post-war Veneto, Italy, and traces her journey to Cambridge, where she met Rajiv Gandhi, grandson of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, in 1965.

The memoir recounts her marriage to Rajiv Gandhi and her introduction to her mother-in-law, former prime minister Indira Gandhi. It also details her efforts to adjust to life in India, including learning Hindi, wearing saris and adapting to Indian food and culture.

The book covers the major tragedies that transformed the Gandhi family, including the death of Sanjay Gandhi in a plane crash, Indira Gandhi's assassination in 1984 and Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in 1991.

The memoir also delves into the political events surrounding the Congress-led alliance's victory after the 2004 election, when Sonia Gandhi declined to become prime minister and instead led the party and its alliance, which governed India for a decade.

(With PTI inputs)