'What does it contain that is scaring them': Rahul Gandhi raises report on Ex-army Chief's unpublished memoir

New Delhi: Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Monday challenged the central government over its objections to his attempt to quote from a report that cited an unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General MM Naravane, asking why the government was "so scared" of the content, insisting on reading excerpts related to the Doklam standoff, which he said highlight true patriotism.

The Lok Sabha witnessed sharp verbal exchanges during the Budget Session after Gandhi sought to quote a magazine article containing excerpts from the unpublished memoir of former Indian Army chief General MM Naravane.

During the motion of thanks on the President's Address, the Leader of Opposition said, "What does it contain which is scaring them so much? If they are not scared, I should be allowed to read on."

Gandhi's reply during the motion of thanks on the President's Address was interrupted by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who raised concern about the fact that the Congress MP cannot quote from an unpublished book, which he said has not been authenticated.

Rahul Gandhi referred to an allegation made by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya against the Congress, linking it to questions of patriotism and national culture.

The ruling benches objected to Gandhi's attempt to cite excerpts from the unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General Naravane.

Responding to Tejasvi Surya's allegation, Gandhi said, "A young colleague over there made an allegation against the Congress Party. I was not going to raise this issue, but because he has raised the issue about our patriotism, our understanding of Indian culture, I'd like to start by reading something. And this is from the memoir of Army Chief Naravane. And I'd like you to listen nicely. You will understand exactly who is patriotic, who is not."

Gandhi further said that the passage related to an incident at Doklam, when "four Chinese tanks were entering Indian territory" and attempting to take control of a ridge. He added, "The Army Chief writes, and I quote from an article that is quoting his book."

"This is from the memoir of Army Chief Naravane. And I'd like you to listen nicely. You will understand exactly who is patriotic and who is not. It will take a little while, so this is about when four Chinese tanks were entering Indian territory. They were taking a ridge in Doklam. And the Army Chief writes, and I quote from an article that is quoting his book,'' Gandhi added.

National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MPs objected, arguing that the memoir had not been published and could not be quoted in the House.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh sought clarification from the Leader of the Opposition on whether the book he was citing had been formally published. Rajnath Singh said, "I want that LoP, Lok Sabha (Rahul Gandhi), should present before the House the book he is quoting from, because the book he is referring to has not been published."

Rahul Gandhi responded, stating that his source was authentic and that the quotations appeared in a published magazine article citing the unpublished memoirs of former Army Chief General M M Naravane, who served as Chief of the Army Staff from December 2019 to April 2022.

However, the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla ruled that unpublished material could not be read out in the House and denied permission to proceed with the reading. Opposition members repeatedly demanded that Gandhi be allowed to read the memoir, while treasury bench members insisted that House rules did not permit references to unpublished works.

The Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, "The Speaker has given a ruling that articles from magazines or newspapers cannot be quoted in the House...Debate in the House should be held according to the laws."

"We should also discuss what should be done with a member who doesn't obey the Speaker's ruling in Lok Sabha," Rijiju said as LoP Rahul Gandhi continued raise the unlisted issue of China and attempts to quote from a magazine article in contravention of House rules.

The standoff continued for nearly 30 minutes, with disruptions from both sides, as the ruling party maintained that the opposition could not read from an unpublished article or book.

Later, speaking in support of the Leader of the Opposition, Samajwadi Party chief and MP Akhilesh Yadav said, "The matter relating to China is very sensitive. LoP, Lok Sabha should be allowed to speak."

Further, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also intervened during the exchange as the House remained divided over the issue, before the proceedings moved ahead amid continued interruptions.