My book is a boon for Sonia Gandhi, says Moro

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 especially 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," said the Spanish writer.

"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," said the author.

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."