Penguin Random House India Clarifies on Sonia Gandhi Memoir Dispute

Penguin Random House India issued a clarification on August 28, 2026, addressing media reports about its involvement with Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's upcoming memoir, "Belonging: A Journey of Love." The publishing house stated that claims it declined to publish the book in India after the author rejected editorial changes do not accurately reflect the circumstances.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Penguin Random House India emphasized that fact-checking and offering editorial recommendations are standard parts of the publishing process. "Penguin Random House India is 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," the company said. It added that it remained willing and keen to publish the book throughout discussions but declined to comment further on confidential matters with the author.

This clarification comes amid reports detailing a disagreement over the Indian publication. According to sources cited by The Indian Express, Penguin Random House India had sought certain editorial changes and deletions to...