Lok Sabha Adjourned After Rahul Gandhi's Attempt to Quote Unpublished Army Chief Memoir Sparks Uproar
The Lok Sabha was adjourned on Monday following a significant uproar in the House after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote from former Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane's unpublished memoir during a parliamentary debate. The incident prompted strong protests from several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs, including Union ministers, leading to heated exchanges and the eventual adjournment of proceedings.
How the Parliamentary Confrontation Unfolded
The verbal duel began during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address when Rahul Gandhi took the floor to respond to allegations made by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya regarding the Congress party and nationalism. The senior Congress leader was reportedly carrying a printout of an article from a well-known magazine that had written about Naravane's unpublished book and published purported excerpts from it.
In his unpublished memoir titled Four Stars of Destiny, General Naravane, who served as Army chief during the stand-off, has reportedly written about the May 2020 clash between Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Doklam.
"A young colleague over there made an allegation against the Congress. I was not going to raise this issue, but because he has raised the issue about our patriotism, our understanding of Indian culture, I'd like to start by reading something. And this is from the memoir of Army Chief Naravane. And I'd like you to listen nicely. You will understand exactly who is patriotic, who is not," Rahul Gandhi said as he began his remarks.
He continued, "It will take a little while, so this is about when four Chinese tanks were entering Indian territory. They were taking a ridge in Doklam. And the Army chief writes, and I quote from an article that is quoting his book."
The Congress MP then proceeded to quote passages from what he claimed was General Naravane's unpublished memoir regarding the 2020 India-China conflict, which immediately sparked protests and led to the adjournment of the Lok Sabha.
Strong Objections from BJP Leaders and Union Ministers
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh strongly protested against Rahul Gandhi's move to quote from Naravane's unpublished memoir and demanded that the Congress MP clarify whether the book had been officially published.
"I want that LoP, Lok Sabha, should present before the House the book he is quoting from, because the book he is referring to has not been published," Rajnath Singh stated emphatically during the parliamentary session.
Not just Rajnath Singh, but Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Home Minister Amit Shah also attempted to discourage any further mention of the book, arguing that quoting from an unpublished work violated parliamentary rules and procedures.
"When the book has not even been published, how can he quote from it?" questioned Amit Shah during the heated exchange.
Kiren Rijiju added, "The Speaker has given a ruling that articles from magazines or newspapers cannot be quoted in the House...Debate in the House should be held according to the laws." He further emphasized, "We should also discuss what should be done with a member who doesn't obey the Speaker's ruling in Lok Sabha."
Rijiju also cautioned that Rahul Gandhi should refrain from making statements that could potentially belittle the Indian Army or compromise national security discussions.
Speaker's Intervention and Parliamentary Standoff
The standoff between Rahul Gandhi and the government continued for approximately 30 minutes, according to PTI reports, with Speaker Om Birla repeatedly denying Rahul Gandhi permission to proceed with reading from the unpublished memoir. Despite the Speaker's rulings, the Opposition continued to demand that the Leader of Opposition be allowed to quote from the book, creating a parliamentary impasse.
Following the adjournment of the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi addressed the media outside Parliament, expressing his frustration at not being permitted to speak on what he described as a matter of national security.
"I am not being allowed to speak. I just have to speak 2-3 lines. It is a matter of national security. These are the words of the Army chief (former), and it is a conversation that he has had with Rajnath Singh ji and PM Modi. All I am saying is that I want to say in the House what the Army chief (former) has written and what orders did Rajnath Singh and PM Modi give him," the Congress MP told reporters.
The incident highlights the ongoing tensions in Parliament regarding discussions of national security matters and the proper procedures for quoting unpublished materials during parliamentary debates. The controversy has sparked broader discussions about parliamentary decorum, the boundaries of debate on sensitive security issues, and the appropriate use of unpublished sources in legislative proceedings.
