‘Memoir or fiction?’: BJP targets Sonia Gandhi’s book as Congress alleges govt pressure - Hindustan Times

**New Delhi –** The forthcoming memoir by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi has ignited a political firestorm, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing the book of “historical revisionism” while the opposition alleges that the central government exerted pressure on the publisher to censor the content. Penguin India, the imprint slated to release *“Sonia Gandhi: A Life in Politics,”* confirmed that it received a request from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to review certain passages. According to sources close to the publisher, the government’s concerns focused on references to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign‑policy decisions, and allegations of Chinese interference, prompting Penguin to seek clarification from the author’s team before proceeding.

The BJP, through senior party spokespersons, slammed the alleged interference as an attempt to “white‑wash” the narrative of India’s recent history. In a statement to the press, the party demanded that the memoir be “subject to a transparent editorial review” and warned that any deviation from factual accuracy would invite legal scrutiny. In response, Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi’s son Rahul Gandhi, dismissed the controversy as a “political stunt.” Rahul, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, said he was “not interested right now” in the book’s fate, noting that the party’s focus remained on “the crime against Mallikarjun Kharge” and broader electoral battles.

Congress has formally accused the government of pressuring Penguin India to demand “unwarranted changes” in the manuscript, alleging that the intervention violates press freedom and the right to publish. The party’s spokesperson cited internal communications that purportedly show the Ministry’s insistence on deleting or re‑phrasing sections that portray the BJP’s policies in a critical light, especially concerning the handling of China‑border tensions and the RSS’s role in Indian politics. While Penguin has not disclosed the exact edits, it confirmed that a “mutual agreement” was reached with the author’s representatives to omit “certain sensitive material” to avoid potential legal challenges. The dispute adds another chapter to the increasingly fraught relationship between India’s ruling party and dissenting voices in the literary and media spheres.