New Delhi, Feb 4: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday showcased former Army chief MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi failed to act decisively during the 2020 India-China conflict and left critical decisions to the Army chief.
Speaking to reporters at the Parliament House complex, Gandhi held up the memoir, emphasizing that it exists despite repeated claims by the government and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh that it does not. “Every youngster in India should know this book exists,” he said.
Gandhi cited the memoir to describe the crisis in Ladakh, claiming that Naravane repeatedly sought instructions from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other officials, but received delayed or no guidance. “The chief of army staff called multiple times about Chinese tanks entering our territory, but he did not get timely orders. The standing order from the top was not to fire without permission,” Gandhi said.
According to him, Modi allegedly told the Army chief, “Jo uchit samjho woh karo” (do whatever you think is right), which Gandhi interpreted as passing responsibility instead of fulfilling the PM’s duties. He added that Naravane’s memoir reveals the Army chief felt abandoned by the entire establishment.
Gandhi said the government is “scared” of the revelations in Parliament and asserted, “If the PM comes to the Lok Sabha today, I am going to give him this book.”
The confrontation escalates an ongoing standoff in the Lok Sabha, where eight opposition MPs including seven from Congress and one from CPI(M) were suspended for attempting to raise the issue of Naravane’s memoir, reportedly by climbing the secretary general’s table and tearing papers. This suspension covers the remainder of the Budget session, ending April 2.
Rahul Gandhi has formally protested to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, calling the refusal to allow him to speak on this matter of national security “a blot on our democracy” and highlighting that it is the first time in history that a Leader of Opposition was barred from speaking on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address.