Kerala Congress leaders rally behind Sonia Gandhi over memoir row

Congress ministers in Kerala on Friday threw their weight behind Sonia Gandhi as the party faced turbulence over her memoir publication. The show of support emerged after Penguin Random House India issued a statement denying it was the publisher of Gandhi's book, creating confusion around the project's status.

American publisher Alfred A Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House, had previously announced the book's release for November 10. However, The Indian Express reported that the publisher had reconsidered the project after Gandhi declined to make "editorial changes" to the manuscript.

Higher Education Minister Roji M John defended Gandhi's decision to maintain the memoir's original content. In a Facebook post, John commended Gandhi for refusing to compromise on her manuscript and acknowledged the personal hardships she had endured, including the assassinations of former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

John noted that Gandhi had initially preferred to remain outside the political sphere before assuming leadership of the Congress party. The minister's remarks underscored the leadership's solidarity during the publishing dispute, reflecting broader party backing for Gandhi at a time of controversy surrounding the memoir project.