Sonia Gandhi makes Instagram debut, unveils memoir amid publishing row

The video shows Sonia being handed the first copy of the book, along with a pack of sweets from the publishers.

“You are carrying a very heavy weight,” Sonia tells the publishers.

As she browses through the memoir, the 79-year-old turns to her daughter, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and remarks, “Lots of pictures, Priyanka.”

In her caption, Sonia wrote, “Hello everyone, I’m truly grateful to share this moment with you all; the first look of Belonging: A Journey of Love.

“It is a story of love, duty, loss and finding a place to belong. I look forward to sharing it with you.”

Memoir set for November 10 release

Sonia Gandhi’s Belonging: A Journey of Love is scheduled to be published in India by HarperCollins on November 10, 2026.

The memoir has drawn attention following reports of disagreements over proposed editorial changes that led to the collapse of its original Indian publishing arrangement with Penguin Random House India.

Disagreement over editorial changes

Penguin Random House India reportedly sought changes and deletions in parts of the manuscript. However, Sonia Gandhi’s representatives opposed some of the proposed edits, and the two sides failed to reach an agreement.

Politically sensitive subjects reportedly at issue

Media reports identified passages concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), communal tensions, the condition of minorities and the 2020 India-China border confrontation in Galwan as among the subjects reportedly discussed during the negotiations.

These details were attributed to sources familiar with the discussions. However, the precise passages that led to the disagreement have not been publicly established.

Congress alleges pressure, publisher denies it

Congress leaders, including former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, alleged that political pressure had been exerted on the publisher to remove sensitive material from the memoir.

Penguin Random House India denied that external pressure was responsible for the breakdown in negotiations, maintaining that editorial recommendations and fact-checking are normal parts of the publishing process.

The exact reasons behind the impasse remain undisclosed.

HarperCollins takes over Indian publishing

Following the breakdown in negotiations with Penguin Random House India, HarperCollins India took over the Indian publishing arrangement.

The move resolved the immediate question of the book’s Indian publisher, with the memoir now scheduled to hit the market on November 10, 2026.