HarperCollins India to publish Sonia Gandhi's memoir after Penguin deal collapses

HarperCollins India has announced it will publish senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, in India on 10 November 2026. The publisher described the book as "one of the most anticipated political memoirs of our time," offering a deeply personal account of love, identity, duty, and belonging, along with an insider's perspective on India's journey.

The announcement comes a week after it emerged that Penguin Random House India had decided not to proceed with the publication. The falling-through followed a negotiation period of at least two months, which sources said began cordially but turned difficult. The publisher had reportedly suggested editorial changes and deletions that Sonia Gandhi's side rejected.

Among the passages objected to were references to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his 12-year rule, the role of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and mentions of communal tensions and the plight of minorities. The author's representatives argued that the proposed edits were overly cautious and would create a situation where the global edition differed from the Indian one, forcing readers to compare texts to identify what had been altered or removed.

Earlier, Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House in the US, had already announced a global release for the same date, with a first print run of 100,000 copies. HarperCollins India, which was reportedly close to finalising the deal, will now handle the Indian publication.