An unpublished memoir by former Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane sparked a major confrontation in the Lok Sabha on Monday, leading to repeated interruptions and the eventual adjournment of the House during the ongoing Budget Session.
The dispute began when Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote from a magazine article that carried excerpts from the typescript of Naravane’s yet-to-be-published memoir. Gandhi said he was responding to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) charge that the Congress lacked patriotism.
Government Objects to Quoting Unpublished Wok
As Gandhi referred to a phrase mentioning “Chinese tanks in Doklam,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh immediately intervened, objecting to the reference.
“He should clarify whether the book has been published. It has not. Quoting from an unpublished book is not permissible,” Singh said, adding that he was certain the memoir had not been officially released.
Home Minister Amit Shah also raised objections, questioning how a member could cite material from a book that had not entered the public domain.
Speaker Upholds Parliamentary Rules
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla supported the government’s position, ruling that parliamentary rules and conventions prohibit citing unauthenticated sources such as unpublished books, newspaper clippings, or magazine excerpts.
“Such material cannot be cited in the House,” Birla said, asking Rahul Gandhi to continue his speech without referring to the memoir.
Despite repeated requests from Congress members, including KC Venugopal, to allow Gandhi to quote the article, the Speaker stood by his ruling. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey also cited procedural rules to oppose the reference.
Escalation and Repeated Interruptions
Gandhi maintained that the excerpts published by The Caravan magazine were “100% genuine” and argued that he should at least be allowed to describe the contents. The Speaker rejected the request, saying he had already delivered his ruling.
When Gandhi again alluded to tanks approaching India’s borders—without explicitly naming China—Rajnath Singh accused him of attempting to mislead the House.
“You should follow the rules. You are the Leader of the Opposition. The country will judge whether you are maintaining the dignity of the position,” Birla told Gandhi during the exchange.
Rijiju later suggested that the House discuss how to deal with a member who repeatedly refuses to follow established rules.
House Adjourned Amid Uproar
As tensions rose across treasury and Opposition benches, the Speaker sought to move on to the next speaker, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. However, continued disruptions forced the House to be adjourned until 3 pm.
Status of Naravane’s Memoir
General Naravane’s memoir, titled Four Stars of Destiny, was scheduled for publication in 2024 by Penguin. Excerpts were published by several media outlets in December 2023, and pre-orders briefly appeared on platforms such as Amazon. However, the book is reportedly held up pending government permissions and is currently unavailable for purchase.
According to its publisher’s description, the memoir chronicles Naravane’s four-decade military career, including his experiences along the Line of Control, engagements with China, the Galwan clash of June 2020, and leadership lessons drawn from his tenure as Army chief.
Naravane’s Tenure as Army Chief
General MM Naravane served as Chief of the Indian Army from December 2019 to April 2022, a period marked by significant military and geopolitical developments. His tenure included the deadly Galwan Valley clash with Chinese forces in which 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives, leading to a prolonged freeze in India–China relations.
