New Delhi: Claiming himself to be an admirer
of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Javier Moro, the author of
a `fictionalised biography` of Sonia Gandhi, has said his book
does not intend to hurt the sentiments of Congressmen and is
in fact a boon for the ruling party.
"I have done nothing wrong. The book is a boon for the
Gandhis, for Congress and specially for Sonia Gandhi. Sooner
or later, they will realise that," Moro said.
The controversial writer also made it clear that he is
not going to tender any apology to the Congress for the book,
`The Red Saree`, which he claims does not deserve a
controversy.
"Apology for what? I have written a book with the best of
intentions and people in Congress are judging it before
reading it properly," the Spanish writer said in an e-mail
interview.
"The book speaks highly of the Congress party," he said
replying to a question whether there was any intention to hurt
the sentiments of Congressmen.
The book, which was first published in Spanish with a
title `El Sari Rojo` in 2008 and is set for India release, has
stirred a storm with the Congress chief`s lawyers describing
it as containing "untruths, half truths, falsehoods and
defamatory statements" and serving Moro a legal notice.
"The book is based on interviews with people Sonia Gandhi
had met and what has already been written about Gandhis. It`s
not a hard-fact biography but a dramatised account of the
family," said Moro, adding that he had never met Sonia Gandhi
or any other member of the family.
When asked why foreign writers choose Indian icons to
write a book as in the case of Mahatma Gandhi by Jad Adams and
Nehru by Catherine Clement and what purpose does it serve, he
said "why not Indian writers write their own versions".
"Nehru, Edwina and the Mahatma were human beings, not
gods. They had their own weaknesses, There is nothing wrong in
exploring them," the author, who claims himself to be an
admirer of Manmohan Singh, said.
Moro said the title of the book is a reference to the
saree first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru wove in prison for
the wedding of Indira Gandhi.
"Sonia wore the same saree the day of her wedding and
Priyanka also, 22 years later. So it is the symbol of the
continuity of that family in the apex of power," said Moro.
About the content the fictionalised biography, he said,
"The book starts with the funeral of the late Prime Minister
Rajiv Gandhi as it was the turning point in the life of
Sonia."
PTI
