Rahul Gandhi Displays Ex-Army Chief’s Memoirs Outside Parliament

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday (February 4) displayed former Army chief M.M. Naravane’s memoirs outside the House, after he was barred from referring to the book in Lok Sabha. He said he would hand over the book – which is not available to the public in India – to the prime minister, if he came to the House.

"They said this book does not exist. Every youngster in India should know that this book exists. This is Mr Naravane's book. He has given an entire account of Ladakh in this book. I have been told that I cannot quote this book,” Gandhi said. The crucial line in the book, the LoP said, was what the prime minister told Naravane in 2020, during Chinese troop movements in eastern Ladakh: “‘Jo uchit samjho woh karo (do what you think is appropriate)’.”

On Monday, the Treasury Benches created an uproar in Lok Sabha after Gandhi brought up the memoirs, in which the ex-Army chief says he was “handed a hot potato” – the onus of dealing with Chinese actions in Ladakh in 2020 alone. Naravane, according to an article published in the February issue of Caravan magazine, writes in his memoirs that he was left to make the decision about responding to Chinese actions entirely by himself.

This, Gandhi said, left him feeling “abandoned by the entire establishment”.

On Monday, defence minister Rajnath Singh and home minister Amit Shah raised objections in Lok Sabha and said that an unpublished book could not be cited in the House. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla then cited Rule 349 to bar Gandhi from quoting the Caravan article, which has excerpts from the book, effectively stopping Gandhi from raising the issues mentioned in the book.

Also read: Rahul Gandhi’s References to Ex-Army Chief Naravane's Book: What is Rule 349 and 353?

On Tuesday, Gandhi had said on the floor of the house that the article was authentic. He also held up a printed copy of the book, asserting that it exists and is not "unpublished", as claimed.

Gandhi also highlighted excerpts of the Caravan article and the book that he said led the government to stop him from speaking. He said:

“When the Chief of Army Staff General Naravane called up Rajnath Singh and said that Chinese tanks have reached the Kailash Ridge, on our territory, [and asked him] 'what should we do?' First, Rajnath Singh did not respond to him. He [Naravane] then asked Jaishankar, NSA and Rajnath Singh but received no reply.

“He then called up Rajnath Singh once again. Rajnath Singh told him that he would ask the 'top'. The standing order from the 'top' was that if Chinese forces come in, we should not fire on them without permission. Naravane-ji and our army wanted to fire on those tanks because they had entered our territory. Narendra Modi-ji gave a message that ‘jo uchit samjho woh karo’,” Gandhi said.

The article published in Caravan magazine that carries brief excerpts from Gen M.M. Naravane's memoirs.

Gandhi said this showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not fulfil his responsibilities and that Naravane felt abandoned by the entire establishment: “It means that Narendra Modi did not fulfil his responsibility; he told the army chief to do whatever he wants as ‘meray bas ki nahi hai’ (I am not up to it)," Gandhi said. He also said that Naravane writes about the episode leaving him to feel “really alone and abandoned by the entire establishment”.

“This is what they are scared of being said in parliament,” said Gandhi.

The prime minister is scheduled to deliver the customary Reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in parliament. Gandhi said that if the prime minister came to the house, he would hand over the book to him.

“I don't think the PM will have the guts to come to the Lok Sabha today. If he comes, I will go and hand this book to him. So he can read it and the country can get to know the truth,” he said.

After he was stopped from speaking during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, Gandhi resumed his reply on Tuesday afternoon. He began by saying that he had authenticated the Caravan article on Naravane’s unpublished memoirs. Gandhi had sought to speak without directly quoting the article, to which the Chair had objected and moved on to the next speaker.

Later, eight opposition Members of Parliament were suspended for raising protests against the Chair.

In January 2024, The Wire had reported that Naravane’s memoirs, titled Four Stars of Destiny, were “awaiting clearance” from the Union defence and external affairs ministries and had been delayed. When The Wire had asked Naravane about the final release date for the book, he said we should “check with the publisher”.

(This story was updated with details about Gen M.M. Naravane's book's publication status at 4:03pm and 6:05pm , February 4, 2026.)

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