Why Ex-Army Chief Manoj Naravane’s book sparked ruckus in Parliament?
An unpublished book of Former Army Chief Manoj Mukund Naravane Monday February 02, 2026 sparked ruckus in the Lok Sabha – the lower House of the Indian Parliament, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the proceeding
An unpublished book of Former Army Chief Manoj Mukund Naravane Monday February 02, 2026 sparked ruckus in the Lok Sabha – the lower House of the Indian Parliament, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the proceeding.
It all started when the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and Congress MP, Rahul Gandhi, rose to participate in the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address during the 2026 Budget Session.
As soon as Rahul tried to quote from MM Naravne’s book, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh objected and asked the Speaker to stop the LoP from quoting anything from, what he called, the unpublished book.
Rahul countered by saying that he was responding to the allegation of being anti-national and unpatriotic leveled against the Congress and the other opposition parties by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya.
“I am quoting from former Army Chief Naravane’e book which talks about the characters of Prime Minister and Defence Minister. Let me read five lines from the book so that it becomes clear who is patriotic and who is not”, Rahul said.
Rajnath Singh was not convinced. Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Parliamentary Minister Kiren Rijiju also intervened, and requested the Speaker to stop the LoP from quoting the book.
After repeated interruptions, Rahul said he will not quote from the book but should be allowed to share the details as described by the former Army Chief in the media.
In between, Samajwadi Party (SP) President and MP Akhilesh Singh Yadav rose in support of Rahul Gandhi, and urged Speaker to allow him to speak. The ruling bench and the Speaker did not agree, and the latter then adjourned the House.
What is there in Naravane’s Book?
The book from which Rahul Gandhi wanted to quote is MM Naravane’s memoir titled “Four Stars of Destiny”.
In his autobiography, General Naravane has written a simple and heart-warming account of his life and times and the experiences that shaped his character, right from childhood to his years in the service, rising through the hierarchy to become the twenty-eighth Chief of the Indian Army.
But what the Narendra Modi government does not want the world to read is the details General Naravane had shared about “four Chinese tanks nearing the Indian border, learning about which he contacted the “leadership” so that a fitting response is chalked out.”
General Naravane was the head of the Army when the Indian and Chinese troops clashed at Galwan in Eastern Ladakh in 2020.
"He [Rajnath Singh] said that he had spoken to the PM and that it was purely a military decision. Jo ucchit samjho woh karo (Do whatever you deem is appropriate)... I had been handed a hot potato. With this carte blanche, the onus was now totally on me. I took a deep breath and sat silently for a few minutes," Naravane writes in the memoir, according to news agency PTI.
The Caravan Magazine, which carried cover story on the book this month, wrote on X, "Going to wars can never be a purely military decision. It is taken by democratically elected political leadership..."
The book was supposed to be published one and half years ago but is reportedly awaiting the approval of the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
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