The Lok Sabha session was adjourned on Monday afternoon amid a massive uproar after senior ministers in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet, including Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, interrupted Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi over alleged excerpts from former army chief Manoj Naklamoffane’s yet-to-be-released memoir on China.
Responding to the vote of thanks for the President’s speech in the Lok Sabha, the Congress leader began his speech by quoting the magazine that had published Naravane’s memoirs from an “unpublished” book.
Read also | Why did Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh protest against Rahul Gandhi’s speech in LS?
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju countered Rahul Gandhi saying he cannot quote from an “unpublished” book and asked him to verify it before the House. Speaker Om Birla forbade Gandhi to read from the “unpublished” book as it was against the rules of the house.
Birla repeatedly urged Gandhi to stick to the cause of the day, which was a thanks to the President’s address. President Droupadi Murmu addressed a joint session of Parliament on 28 January, marking the beginning of the budget session. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2026 on Sunday.
In the middle of a row in the Lok Sabha, during the ongoing budget session of Parliament, General MM Naravane (Retd) and his memoirs which have not been published.
Who is General Naravane?
General Naravane (Retd), 65, who served as Chief of the Indian Army Staff from December 2019 to April 2022, including India-China border clashes in 2020. He took over as COAS from General Bipin Rawat on 31 December 2019.
General Naravane (Retd), who retired after four decades of illustrious and meritorious service, will be remembered for ensuring the health of Indian Army personnel during The covid-19 pandemica resolute response to the northern adversary in eastern Ladakh and a decisive push towards Atmanirbharta, besides adopting specialized and destructive technologies to fight future wars, according to a government note on his retirement in April 2022.
Read also | ‘We shouldn’t be rooting for war…’ says ex-army chief ‘not a Bollywood movie’
“General Naravane was a soldier and was concerned about the welfare of soldiers. He visited forward areas in Jammu and Kashmir, East Ladakh and North-East on several occasions and after April 2020 he was actively involved in cases of rapid construction of accommodation and posts for newly recruited troops in East Ladakh,” the note said.
The Four Stars of Destiny – Controversy
New controversy surrounding General Naravane’s memoirs ‘Four stars of fate‘, centers on its revelations about sensitive military operations and government policies, which prompted a government-ordered review and delayed its publication.
In the memoir, Naravane detailed high-level decision-making and criticized for potential breaches of disclosure norms by retired officers.
Key revelations include a late-night conversation on 31 August 2020 with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh amid Chinese troop movements in the Rechin La Pass in eastern Ladakh.
Agnipath Recruitment Scheme
The book also comments on the Agnipath recruitment program, which was launched in June 2022. Naravane revealed that the Army had proposed to retain 75% of short-term recruits for the long term, but the final model retained only 25% with initial pay after four years ₹20,000 was deemed “unacceptable” for soldiers risking their lives – later increased to ₹30,000 after pushing the army.
The monographs portray the scheme as a politically driven initiative that takes precedence over a military council, contradicting the government’s claim that it was created with the armed forces to reduce the age profile.
The previews of the book, which was supposed to be released in April 2024, were released by news agency PTI in December 2023. After that, the entire publication process was stopped.
Distinguished military career
A graduate of the National Defense Academy (NDA) and the Indian Military Academy, Naravane was commissioned into the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment in June 1980. He is a graduate of the Defense Services College, Wellington and the Senior Command Course at Mhow. The General Officer holds an MA in Defense Studies, an M Phil in Defense and Management Studies and is currently pursuing a Ph.D.
General Naravane commanded the 2017 Republic Day Parade in his capacity as General Officer Commanding, Delhi Region. After successfully commanding the Army Training Command in Shimla and the Eastern Command in Kolkata, he was appointed Deputy Chief of the Army Staff before assuming the appointment of the Chief of the Army Staff on 31 December 2019.
In a distinguished military career spanning more than four decades, he held key command and staff positions in both peacetime and the field, both in the Northeast and in Jammu and Kashmir.
General Naranane was also part of the Indian peacekeeping force in Sri Lanka. He commanded a battalion of the Rashtriya Rifles, raised an infantry brigade, was Inspector General of the Assam Rifles (North) and commanded the Strike Corps in the Western Theatre. His staff assignments included a stint as Brigadier Major of an Infantry Brigade, Defense Attaché in Yangon, Myanmar, an instructional appointment at the Army War College as a senior command staff wing and two stints at MoD Integrated Headquarters (Army), New Delhi.
Key things
- The memoir deals with sensitive military operations, raising concerns about disclosure by retired officers.
- Key revelations challenge the government’s narrative on the Agnipath recruitment scheme.
- The controversy highlights the complexities of military transparency and political accountability.