Guwahati: Penguin Random House India (PRHI) on Friday denied reports that it backed out of publishing Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love after a disagreement over editorial changes.

A PRHI spokesperson said the company is not the publisher of the memoir in India and disputed claims that it decided against publishing the book because Gandhi refused to make changes to her manuscript.

“Penguin Random House India is not the publisher of Belonging in India. Any suggestion that Penguin Random House India decided not to publish Belonging because the author declined editorial changes does not accurately reflect the circumstances,” the spokesperson said.

“As a publisher, it is both our prerogative and our responsibility to fact check and provide authors with recommendations that are in the best interests of their books. This is a normal part of the publishing process. Throughout the relevant discussions, Penguin Random House India’s position was that we remained willing and keen to publish the book,” the spokesperson added.

PRHI said it would not comment further on confidential discussions with the author.

The clarification followed reports that the publishing house had sought changes and deletions in parts of the manuscript, which Gandhi allegedly refused.

According to a person familiar with the matter cited in reports, the disagreement centred on passages referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and India-China relations.

One of Gandhi’s aides was quoted as saying PRHI had objected to passages detailing her meetings with Modi, including her recollections of comments he made about her.

The aide said Gandhi had written extensively about her political career and included her impressions of the Prime Minister and their interactions.

The memoir is scheduled for worldwide release on November 10 through Alfred A Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Knopf had earlier announced an initial print run of one lakh copies.

HarperCollins is reportedly close to finalising an agreement to publish and distribute the book in India, although it has not commented on the matter.

Belonging: A Journey of Love chronicles Gandhi’s life from her childhood in post-war Italy to her move to India and marriage to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. It is also expected to cover the deaths of Sanjay Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, as well as her entry into public life.

In the publisher’s announcement, Sonia Gandhi described the memoir as an account of her family, her life and the social and political changes she had witnessed over six decades.

The controversy has also drawn a political response. Congress leaders criticised PRHI’s clarification, with Gaurav Gogoi alleging that the publisher was willing to publish books on the RSS while resisting publication of Gandhi’s memoir.

The dispute comes months after controversy over former Army chief General MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir, which PRHI had commissioned. Excerpts from the book had appeared in the media and triggered political controversy in Parliament.

PRHI had earlier said it had “not printed” the memoir, Four Stars of Destiny, despite a hard copy of the title being displayed in Parliament.