NEW DELHI: Penguin Random House India on Monday said publication of Sonia Gandhi’s memoir in India had stalled after the publisher and the author’s representatives reached an “impasse over a particular issue.” The publisher also firmly denied that any external pressure had influenced the decision.Penguin India said the disagreement emerged during its normal editorial review of Belonging: A Journey of Love, which it had been keen to publish.The clarification came amid a growing political controversy over the memoir’s India publication, after Alfred A Knopf, the US-based imprint of Penguin Random House, announced that the book would be released worldwide on November 10. While Congress leaders have raised questions about possible governmental pressure and freedom of expression, Penguin India said the disagreement was strictly part of the editorial process.“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,” the publisher said.PRHI spokesperson Pallavi Narayan said the publishing house had been “really keen” to bring out the memoir, describing it as “a hard-won acquisition”.“We feel it is important for us to correct certain misrepresentations regarding the forthcoming memoir ‘Belonging’. This is a book that we at Penguin Random House India, were really keen on publishing as it was a hard-won acquisition,” Narayan said in an exclusive statement to PTI.The publisher said the manuscript had gone through its “normal editorial process”, during which several points were raised and discussed with the author’s representatives. Some proposed changes were accepted, while on other matters Penguin India accepted the author’s position.It was ultimately the unresolved issue that brought the publication process to a halt, according to PRHI. The author’s team subsequently informed the publisher that they did not wish to proceed with the publication, a decision the publishing house said it respected.At the same time, Penguin India rejected suggestions that the impasse was the result of intervention from outside the publishing process.“Since the content of the book is confidential and under embargo, there was no external pressure whatsoever,” the publisher said.PRHI declined to reveal the nature of the disputed issue, citing its contractual obligations and commitment to author confidentiality.“Since we are bound by an agreement, and author confidentiality is paramount to us, we will not divulge details of what led to the impasse,” the publisher said.The publishing house also defended its decision to scrutinise the manuscript, saying editorial assessment, questioning, fact-checking and recommendations were part of its responsibility as a publisher.“As publishers, it was its “responsibility and duty” to critically assess a manuscript, ask questions, make recommendations and exercise its independent editorial judgement,” Penguin India said.The controversy intensified after reports that Penguin India had backed out of publishing the memoir following disagreements over editorial changes. Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot alleged that pressure had been put on Penguin India to remove sections concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the RSS and China’s occupation of Indian territory during the Modi government.
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Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath also questioned whether the publisher’s position had been influenced by pressure from elsewhere.Penguin India’s latest statement, however, maintains that no such external intervention took place and that the disagreement arose solely during the editorial process.The memoir is expected to offer a rare account of Gandhi’s life, covering her childhood in post-war Italy, her marriage into the Nehru-Gandhi family, the assassination of her husband and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, and her subsequent entry into politics.While the international edition is scheduled for release on November 10, the status of its publication in India remains unresolved.
