Sonia Gandhi makes Instagram debut

Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi made her social media debut on Thursday by joining Instagram and sharing a post on her upcoming book 'Belonging: A Journey of Love'.

Gandhi's memoir is set for a worldwide release on November 10.

"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," Sonia Gandhi wrote on her first Instagram post, sharing the first look of her memoir.

In the video shared on Instagram, Sonia Gandhi is seen receiving the first copies of her book and sharing sweets with her daughter and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The two were also seen hugging.

The CPP Chairperson did not have a social media account until now. She has over 10,700 followers and follows her children, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, as well as the Indian National Congress.

The book is set to launch on November 10, while pre-orders have been opened. The memoir is being published globally by Alfred A. Knopf, with HarperCollins India handling its release in the country.

In a post on X, HarperCollins India said that it will publish 'Belonging: A Journey of Love' by Sonia Gandhi. "The long-awaited memoir will be published in India on 10 November 2026," it said.

The publishing house added, "One of the most anticipated political memoirs of our time, Belonging is a dramatic and deeply personal story of love, identity, duty and belonging, and offers a rare insider's view of India's journey."

Earlier, reports surfaced that Penguin India refused to publish the memoir of a senior Congress leader over alleged disagreement over editorial changes, which were later refuted by the publishing house.

In a statement, Penguin Random House India said that it "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," it 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," it added.

"We will not comment further on confidential discussions with the author," said the publisher.