Sonia biography release uncertain

The book, first published in Spanish in October 2008, followed by its Italian, French and Dutch versions, is slated to be published in English in India by Roli Books, but now that looks uncertain following the legal notice sent on Gandhi’s behalf by lawyer and party MP Abhishek Singhvi.

Moro has stated that the Congress legal machinery led by Singhvi was seeking to “terrorise” Indian publishers through the legal notice not to release the book in India, but the latter maintains that the legal notice was against the “defamatory” content of the book.

The main objections of Congress are against several of the book’s claims, including that Gandhi was not allowed to go near her husband Rajiv Gandhi’s pyre by the Hindu priests, that she had intended to leave the country with her children after Rajiv’s assassination, and certain quotes containing swear words attributed to Sanjay Gandhi. 

Moro, in comments to the media has said that while he has written a “fictionalised” account of Gandhi’s life, “that does not mean it is not truthful” He has accused Singhvi and “his watchdogs and his company” of trying to “terrorise Indian publishing houses into not publishing my book”.

But Singhvi, speaking for the legal firm representing Gandhi, has said the author and the publisher had been sent the legal notice about seven months ago with regard to the “gross prevarication and distortion” of facts in the book.  “A fictionalised biography about a living person is an oxymoron. Any false and derogatory writing, that is admitted to be without authorisation or consent, is patently slanderous, libellous and defamatory,” he said.

Interestingly, despite the legal notice, Congress officially claims ignorance about the contents of the book, with AICC spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed saying that it is not appropriate to comment “without reading the book”. “We have not seen the book. It is not available in the market,” he has said, even as the legal notice sent on November five last details even the page numbers containing the allegedly slanderous material.

Moro, in his comments to the media, has said that while he had sought to contact Sonia Gandhi before writing the book through friends and family, there was no response from her side.