BJP demands Rahul's apology for raising suspicion on national security using 'fake book'

New Delhi: The BJP on Tuesday alleged that Rahul Gandhi stood exposed with former army chief Gen M M Naravane sharing on social media a statement issued by the publisher of his memoir "Four Stars of Destiny", and demanded an apology from the Congress leader for presenting a "fiction" before the country.

Terming Naravane's post on X as his "endorsement" of a clarification issued by the publisher of his memoir that the book has not yet been published, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged that Gandhi committed an "unpardonable crime" by attempting to present "lies and fiction" in the Lok Sabha.

In a statement, Penguin Random House India (PRHI) on Monday said it holds the exclusive publishing rights to General Naravane's memoir titled 'Four Stars of Destiny', and clarified that the book has not yet been published, amid reports of unauthorised copies in circulation.

The clarification came after the Delhi Police registered an FIR over the alleged illegal circulation of the manuscript in digital and other formats.

On Tuesday, the former Army chief shared on X the publisher's statement and wrote, "This is the status of the book." Latching on to Naravane's post on X, Trivedi said, "With former Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane endorsing Penguin's tweet (X post), Rahul Gandhi's attempt to narrate a fiction in the Lower House stands completely demolished." This also proves that the leader of the opposition and his party and the Congress used the floor of the Lok Sabha to raise suspicion in the matter of national security to serve their "extremely petty politics", the BJP Rajya Sabha MP charged.

"After clarification from both the publisher and author, it's proved that the only person lying is Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi," Trivedi told reporters in the Parliament House complex. "His crime is unpardonable. He should apologise to the country." Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad also slammed Gandhi and demanded that he apologise to the nation and also in the Lok Sabha for using a "fake book" to mislead the House.

"Now it is self-evident that Rahul Gandhi sought to mislead the House, showing a fake copy of the memoir of General Naravane," the former Union minister told reporters in the Parliament House complex.

Prasad alleged that Gandhi has never shown any consideration for the parliamentary norms, property and rules, and "gets exposed every time".

"You are the leader of opposition; you come with a fake book, you seek to mislead the House. How can you authenticate a book which has not been published at all? I condemn Rahul Gandhi's irresponsible behaviour and demand that he offer an unconditional apology on the floor of the House," Prasad added.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey demanded that Lok Sabha Speaker OM Birla take steps to cancel Gandhi's membership of the House to protect democracy from the forces "conspiring to break the country".