The Lok Sabha witnessed sharp exchanges of words during the budget session on Monday after Leader of the Opposition in the lower house Rahul Gandhi tried to quote a magazine article containing excerpts from former army chief MM Naravane’s unpublished memoirs on the 2017 Doklam standoff with China.
The lower house was adjourned for a day after Gandhi repeatedly tried to intervene General NaravaneA controversial monograph that awaits a Ministry of Defence review.
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General Naravane (Retd), 65, 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.
How did the series begin?
Rahul Gandhi’s response during the vote of thanks to the President’s address was interrupted Defense Minister Rajnath Singhwho expressed concern that a member of Congress could not quote from an unpublished book that he said had not been verified.
Gandhi went on to say that the passage was related to the Doklam incident where “four Chinese tanks entered Indian territory” and attempted to take control of the ridge. He added: “The Chief of the Army writes, and I quote from an article that quotes his book.”
“This is from a memoir Chief of the Naravane army. And I would like you to listen carefully. You will understand exactly who is a patriot and who is not. It will take a while, so it is about when four Chinese tanks entered Indian territory. They went to the ridge in Doklam. AND chief of the army writes, and I quote from an article that quotes his book,” Gandhi added.
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The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MPs objected, saying the memoir had not been published and could not be quoted in the House.
What did MM Naravane say about the book?
General Naravane’s memoir, titled ‘Four Stars of Destiny’, was due to be published in April 2024. A link to the book is still available on Amazon, but shows the message “Currently unavailable. We do not know when or if this item will be back in stock.”
“From his first encounter with the Chinese as a young officer in Sikkim to his dealings with them at Galwan when he was a chief, from the daily firings across the LC to the imposition of a ceasefire with Pakistan, General Naravane takes us through his distinguished career spanning over four decades, serving in every corner of the country,” reads the book’s description on Amazon. The book is published by a publishing house Penguin books.
Samples from the book were published by the press agency PTI in December 2023. The entire publication process was then halted pending review by the Ministry of Defence.
In October last year, General MM Naravane was asked about the memoir at a literature festival in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh. General Narvane was attending a session on his recently published fiction ‘The Cantonment Conspiracy’ when an audience member asked the General about his autobiography, ‘Four Stars of Destiny’.
According to the report in printingThe general, with his sharp wit, replied, “I think it ages like old wine. The longer it’s there, the more vintage it gets, the more valuable it is.”
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In his memoirs, describing the Amazon, General Naravane recounts the countless experiences that shaped his character, from childhood to his years in the services and beyond.
“From his first encounter with the Chinese as a young officer in Sikkim to dealing with them in Galwan when he was a chief, from daily firings to ceasefires to the imposition of a ceasefire with Pakistan, General Naravane takes us through his distinguished career spanning over four decades, serving in every corner of the country,” it reads.
This is an expert look at the things that make our forces unique, especially those involved in planning and conducting operations – the Army’s raison d’être, says the book’s description.
