New Delhi : Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s book ‘Billonning: A Journey of Love’ has come into the spotlight even before its publication. On the one hand, publisher Penguin Random House India has clarified its stand regarding the book, while on the other hand, Congress leaders have raised many questions regarding the publication of the book.

This entire controversy started with media reports claiming that Sonia Gandhi had expressed her disagreement with making some editorial changes in the book. Then a claim surfaced that the book demanded the removal of some issues related to the occupation of Indian territory by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, RSS and China during the tenure of the Modi government.

After the controversy escalated, Penguin Random House India clarified on social media platform X that it is not the publisher of this book in India. According to the company, the book was announced to be published by American publisher Alfred A. Knopf, which is a part of Penguin Random House. It has also been mentioned that the date of publication of the book was announced on November 10.

The most important thing for the publisher was that the company did not confirm the claim made in the media reports that Sonia Gandhi refused to accept editorial changes in the book and due to this the publication of the book was stopped. The company further said that it is part of the publisher’s responsibility to verify the content provided by the author and the facts contained in it. Therefore, the editorial process and fact-checking before the publication of the book are part of the normal publishing process.

Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot indirectly targeted the central government after Penguin’s statement on this issue. Gehlot claimed that the book was pressured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, RSS and China to remove some references to the occupation of Indian territory. He alleged that the publisher backed down from publishing the book in India after Sonia Gandhi did not accept such changes. Gehlot termed the entire incident as an issue related to freedom of expression and questioned that if the book can be published in other countries of the world, then why are there questions being raised about its publication in India?

Apart from Ashok Gehlot, other Congress leaders have also raised questions about the publisher’s decision and the publication of the book. The main question is that if the book is to be published internationally, then why is there a different situation regarding its publication and distribution in India? Congress leaders say that there should be no pressure from outside on what an author writes in his book and on which issues he expresses his opinion.

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has also reacted to this issue. He questioned whether a publisher would decide what a senior political figure like Sonia Gandhi can and cannot write? He further questioned whether the publisher himself is talking like this or is there any pressure behind it?

Amidst this entire controversy, one thing is still important—what is the exact status of the book’s publication and distribution in India? According to the report, the e-book version of this book is said to be available for pre-order on Amazon. So on one hand, there is a controversy over its publication in India, while on the other hand, there is a different situation regarding its availability on online platforms.

Two separate claims are currently emerging in this controversy. On the one hand, Penguin Random House says that the claim of editorial changes behind not publishing Sonia Gandhi’s book is not true and the company does not want to comment on private conversations with the author. On the other hand, Congress leaders are claiming that pressure was exerted on some points in the book.

So now the focus is on what exactly the book contains about the issues related to PM Modi, RSS, China and India that have sparked this controversy when it is fully released and whether any changes have been made to it. For now, it is certain that the publication of Sonia Gandhi’s book has become a subject of political debate and the controversy is likely to heat up further amid allegations of freedom of expression, publisher’s responsibility and political pressure.

Report – Abhijit Tushar Bhatt (Political Editor)