Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy on Tuesday, 1 September weighed in on Penguin Random House India's decision not to publish Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi's upcoming memoir, asserting that the book contained writings that were 'not right and not good for the country.' The remarks came amid a widening controversy over why one of India's most prominent publishers walked away from the project.

What the BJP Said

Thirupathy argued that the publisher's withdrawal was driven by a routine fact-checking exercise, not political pressure. 'That's what they made very, very clear: a lot of the writings were not right and were not good for the country and were not based on facts,' he said. 'Normally, a publisher will always verify such claims because they hold responsibility for whatever is written there. So, obviously, they would have checked the facts. Fact-checking would have been done by them, and that is why they objected to it.'

He also suggested that Sonia Gandhi should have shown greater willingness to accept corrections. 'When they object to the facts, I think you should have the courage to remove it. They were not doing it because they wanted to make it political. That's why they rejected publishing it,' Thirupathy added.

Penguin's Position

On 28 August, Penguin Random House India issued a categorical clarification that it would not be publishing 'Belonging: A Journey of Love' — Sonia Gandhi's memoir — in India. The statement directly contradicted reports suggesting the publisher had withdrawn after Gandhi allegedly refused to accept 'editorial' changes.

'Any suggestion that Penguin Random House India decided not to publish Sonia Gandhi's memoir because the author declined editorial changes does not accurately reflect the circumstances,' the company said in an official statement. The publisher did, however, acknowledge that it had been 'keen to publish the book' and that fact-checking authors and providing recommendations was part of its standard responsibility.

Who Steps In Next

With Penguin Random House India no longer attached to the project, several Indian publishers are reportedly in the race to acquire domestic rights. HarperCollins is reported to be close to finalising a deal to publish and distribute the memoir in India.

Internationally, Alfred A. Knopf — a major American publishing house and an imprint of Penguin Random House — has confirmed that the memoir will be released on 10 November. The global release is proceeding on schedule even as the Indian publishing arrangement remains unsettled.

Background and Significance

The controversy places a spotlight on the editorial relationship between high-profile political authors and publishers in India. It is notable that Penguin Random House India's international parent imprint, Knopf, is proceeding with the book while the India arm has stepped back — a distinction that has fuelled speculation about the nature of the objections. The episode also arrives at a politically charged moment, with the BJP and Congress locked in sustained rivalry ahead of upcoming state elections.