Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s much-awaited memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love has found a new Indian publisher. HarperCollins India announced on Friday that it will publish the memoir in India on November 10, 2026.
The announcement comes days after Penguin Random House India (PRHI) decided not to proceed with publishing the Indian edition of the book following a disagreement with Sonia Gandhi’s representatives over an unresolved issue concerning the manuscript.
Editorial Insight
Key Highlights
Important points readers should notice.
Issue/Event: Sonia Gandhi’s memoir gets a new Indian publisher.
Authority/Organisation: HarperCollins India.
Action Taken: HarperCollins takes over publication of the Indian edition.
Impact: The publisher change adds fresh political and public interest ahead of the memoir’s November release.
The change of publisher has turned the memoir into a significant political and publishing story even before its release. The book is expected to offer Sonia Gandhi’s personal account of her life, family, identity, relationships and long association with India.
The memoir is titled Belonging: A Journey of Love. HarperCollins India said the book would be released in the country on November 10, the same date as its international publication.
The controversy surrounding the Indian edition emerged after Penguin Random House India confirmed that it would not publish the book. Reports subsequently indicated that proposed editorial changes involved portions dealing with contemporary political and social issues, including references to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure, the RSS, China and the situation of minorities.
Editorial Analysis
Why This Matters
Sonia Gandhi’s memoir could provide a major first-person account of her political and personal journey. The dispute over its Indian publication has also made the book a politically sensitive release ahead of publication.
However, Penguin has maintained that there was no external pressure behind its decision and described the matter as an editorial disagreement with the author’s representatives.
The development also triggered a political response. Congress representatives raised concerns about editorial intervention, while the BJP accused the Congress of politicising the publishing dispute and questioned the accuracy of the memoir’s political content. Reuters reported that Sonia Gandhi herself had not publicly commented on the dispute at the time of its report.
With HarperCollins now taking over the Indian publication, attention will shift to the final edition of the memoir and the political revelations or personal accounts it may contain.
The book is particularly significant because Sonia Gandhi has been one of the most influential figures in the Congress party and played a central role in Indian politics for decades.
Her memoir is therefore expected to attract interest not only from political readers but also from those following the history of the Gandhi family and the evolution of Indian politics.
