Congress Accuses Penguin India of Censoring Sonia Gandhi Memoir

A political dispute has erupted over the Indian publication of Sonia Gandhi's memoir, "Belonging: A Journey of Love." While the American imprint Alfred A. Knopf announced a global release for November 10, 2026, Penguin Random House India (PRHI) will not publish the Indian edition. Congress leaders allege that PRHI succumbed to government pressure to remove passages critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the RSS, and Chinese territorial intrusions in India.

Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot characterized the situation as the "murder of democracy" and the "murder of freedom of expression." Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan further described the decision as "institutional cowardice," claiming the central government governs through intimidation. In response, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dismissed these claims as hypocritical. BJP leaders N Ramchander Rao and CR Kesavan argued that the need for fact-checking suggests the Congress party relies on lies.

Penguin Random House India has denied that it withdrew from the project due to editorial disagreements, stating it is not the publisher of the book in India. The company maintained it remained "willing and keen" to publish the work but defended its prerogative to provide editorial recommendations and fact-check authors as a standard process. While the Indian rights remain unsettled, reports indicate HarperCollins India is close to finalizing an agreement to distribute the memoir, and an e-book version is already listed via HarperCollins UK.