BJP Leader Ram Madhav Says Government Not Involved in Sonia Gandhi Memoir Controversy

Senior BJP leader Ram Madhav said that the government had no role in the controversy surrounding Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and her as-yet-unpublished memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love. Speaking to The Indian Express ’ Neeta Sharma, Madhav said, “I am myself an author. My books go to press. The publishers always come back with a number of edit suggestions. We agree on some things, we don’t agree on some things…then there will be an understanding. Same thing happened….I think with Soniaji’s book also.” Wondering why the government had been brought into the controversy, he said,”It’s between the author and the publisher. And finally, it was the author who decided she didn’t want to go ahead with the publisher. Where is the government in this? It’s between them.” The senior BJP leader’s remarks come amid a disagreement between the ex-Congress chief and Penguin Random House India (PRHI) over her book. Express had reported earlier that the publishing house had asked for certain “editorial changes and deletions” in “a part of the manuscript”. Sonia Gandhi , however, declined to make those changes. Senior Congress leaders later alleged that Penguin India was pressured to remove “portions related to Modi, RSS, and the occupation of Indian territory by China during Modi’s rule”. As the controversy grew, PRHI said there was no “external pressure whatsoever” and put out a statement: “During our discussions with the author’s representatives, several points were raised and deliberated upon. 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. It was then that the author’s team informed us that they did not wish to proceed and we respected their decision. 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.” After having been dropped by Penguin, the book will now be published by HarperCollins India. “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,” the publishing company said in a post on X. The memoir will be published in India on November 10.