The Lok Sabha adjourned on Monday after a huge uproar over Congress MP Rahul Gandhi attempting to quote from an unpublished book by former army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, prompting several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs, including Union ministers, to protest.
The exchange sparked sharp reactions across the House. Here’s how the verbal sparring started in the Lok Sabha and who said what.
Rahul Gandhi Vs Govt – How It Happened
Rahul Gandhi took the floor during the debate on the Motion of Thanks for the President’s Address. A senior Congress official said he wanted to first address the previous speaker, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya’s allegations about the Congress and nationalism.
Rahul Gandhi reportedly carried a copy of an article in a well-known magazine that wrote about Naravane’s book and published alleged excerpts from it. In his unpublished memoirs, Naravane reportedly wrote about the clash between Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Doklam in May 2020. Naravane was the army chief during the encounter.
“A young colleague there made an allegation against the Congress. I didn’t want to raise the issue, but since he raised the issue of our patriotism, our understanding of Indian culture, I would like to start by reading something. And it is from the memoirs of Army Chief Naravane. And I would like you to listen to me nicely. You will understand exactly who is a patriot and who is not,” said Rahul Gandhi.
He continued: “It’s going to take a while, so it’s about when four Chinese tanks were entering Indian territory. They were getting on the ridge at Doklam. And the army chief is writing and I’m quoting from an article that cites his book.”
The Congress MP then quoted passages from General Naravane’s unpublished memoir “Four Stars Of Destiny” about the India-China conflict in 2020, causing an uproar in the House and leading to the adjournment of the Lok Sabha.
What BJP MPs say
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh strongly protested Rahul Gandhi’s move to quote from Naravane’s memoir and asked the Congress MP to clarify whether the book had been published.
Not only Rajnath Singh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Home Minister Amit Shah also tried to discourage any further mention of the book, saying the book remained unpublished and quoting from it was against the rules of Parliament.
“When the book isn’t even out yet, how can he quote from it?” asked Amit Shah.
Rajnath Singh said, “I want the LoP, Lok Sabha, to bring before the House the book from which he is quoting because the book he is referring to has not been published.”
Kiren Rijiju said that Rahul Gandhi should not say things that belittle the army.
“The Speaker has given a ruling that articles from magazines or newspapers cannot be quoted in the House… Debate in the House should be conducted in accordance with the laws,” he said, adding, “We should also discuss what should be done with a member who does not follow the Speaker’s order in the Lok Sabha.”
According to PTI, the standoff between Rahul Gandhi and the government lasted for about 30 minutes, with spokesperson Om Birla repeatedly refusing Rahul Gandhi to continue reading as the opposition continued to demand that the LoP be allowed to quote from the book.
“Everything will be known in 2-3 lines”: Rahul Gandhi
After the Lok Sabha was adjourned, Rahul Gandhi told the media that he was not allowed to speak.
“I am not allowed to speak. I 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 the conversation he had with Rajnath Singh ji and PM Modi. I am only saying that I want to say in the House what the army chief (former) wrote to him and what orders were given to him by Congress MPs and Rajna Moding.