{
  "id": 4197832,
  "title": "Rajasthan: Former CM Ashok Gehlot Alleges Pressure Behind Penguin India’s Withdrawal From Publishing Sonia Gandhi’s Book | VIDEO",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/rajasthan-former-cm-ashok-gehlot-alleges-pressure-behind-penguin",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-29T13:15:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/rajasthan-former-cm-ashok-gehlot-alleges-pressure-behind-penguin-indias-withdrawal-from-publishing-sonia-gandhis-book-video"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Jaipur, August 29, 2026: Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has accused the BJP-led central government of exerting pressure on Penguin India to withdraw its plans to publish former Congress leader and party president Sonia Gandhi's memoirs. Gehlot expressed surprise at Penguin India's decision to step back from publishing the book, despite the parent company being ready to publish it globally. He alleged that there must have been some form of pressure involved in the decision, potentially coming from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).\n\nGehlot emphasized the importance of freedom of expression, stating that authors should have the right to express their views without being asked to remove passages. He drew a parallel to the ongoing \"Save the Constitution\" campaign led by Rahul Gandhi, arguing that protecting the Constitution also meant safeguarding democratic rights and people's voices.\n\nThe former chief minister highlighted that several publishing houses have already approached Sonia Gandhi with offers to publish her book, indicating significant interest among other publishers. He maintained that Sonia Gandhi would ultimately decide which publishing house to choose from among the offers she has received. Gehlot also criticized a recent article in the RSS-affiliated weekly Organiser, accusing the RSS of having a \"Naxalite mindset\" and of opposing the Constitution shortly after independence.",
  "summary": "Jaipur, August 29, 2026: Accusing the BJP-led central government of curtailing freedom of expression over the issue of publication of Congress leader and former party president Sonia Gandhi’s much-awaited book in India, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has said that the reported decision by Penguin India to step back from publishing the book has come as a shock. “The biggest question…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "NDTV - India News",
        "title": "\"There's Pressure\": Congress vs BJP As Penguin India Drops Sonia Gandhi's Memoir",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/theres-pressure-congress-vs-bjp-as-penguin-india-drops-sonia-gandhis",
        "published": "2026-08-29T05:41:34.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}