Lok Sabha Adjourned Amid Heated Exchanges Over Unpublished Army Chief Memoir
The Lok Sabha witnessed sharp verbal exchanges on Monday during the ongoing Budget Session, leading to the adjournment of the lower house for the day. The controversy erupted when Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote from a magazine article containing excerpts from the unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General MM Naravane, specifically referencing the 2017 Doklam stand-off with China.
Defence Minister Objects to Quoting Unauthenticated Material
During his reply to the motion of thanks on the President's Address, Rahul Gandhi's speech was interrupted by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Singh raised serious concerns about the Congress MP quoting from an unpublished book that has not been authenticated or officially released. The Defence Minister emphasized that parliamentary rules prohibit referencing such unverified materials during House proceedings.
Gandhi persisted in his attempt to share what he described as crucial information from General Naravane's memoir. "This is from the memoir of Army Chief Naravane. And I'd like you to listen nicely. You will understand exactly who is patriotic and who is not," Gandhi stated during the heated exchange. He went on to describe an incident from the Doklam standoff where "four Chinese tanks were entering Indian territory" and attempting to take control of a strategic ridge.
NDA MPs Unite in Opposition
Members of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) strongly objected to Gandhi's references, arguing that the memoir had not been published and therefore could not be legitimately quoted in parliamentary proceedings. The collective opposition from ruling party MPs created a tense atmosphere in the House, ultimately leading to the day's adjournment as order could not be restored.
The Controversial Memoir: Four Stars of Destiny
General MM Naravane's memoir, titled 'Four Stars of Destiny', was originally scheduled for publication in April 2024. The book's description on Amazon, where it remains listed as "Currently unavailable", promises insights into Naravane's distinguished career spanning over four decades. According to the publisher Penguin Books, the memoir covers:
- His first encounter with Chinese forces as a young officer in Sikkim
- Dealing with the Galwan clashes during his tenure as Army Chief
- Daily incidents of firing across the Line of Control
- Implementing a ceasefire with Pakistan
The publication process was halted in December 2023 after extracts appeared in news agency PTI reports, pending a review by the Ministry of Defence. The memoir represents what the Amazon description calls "a specialist's take on the things that make our forces unique, particularly those that deal with the planning and conduct of operations—the raison d'être of the Army."
Naravane's Response to Publication Delay
When questioned about his autobiography at a literature festival in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh in October last year, General Naravane responded with characteristic wit. "I think it is maturing, like aged wine. The longer it's there, it becomes more and more vintage; of greater value," he remarked, according to reports from The Print.
The former Army Chief, who served from December 2019 to April 2022 during critical periods including the 2020 India-China border clashes, succeeded General Bipin Rawat. His unpublished memoir has now become the center of a political storm in Parliament, raising questions about the boundaries of parliamentary discourse and the handling of sensitive military information.
