Pandemonium broke out in the Lok Sabha with the speaker Om Birla cutting short Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s reply to the President’s address.
After treasury benches opposed Rahul’s reference to an unpublished book written by former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, rule books were read and the LoP was asked to change the subject. He interjected, saying it’s an article he’s quoting that highlights concerns regarding India’s national interest. But his voice was defeated by Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh who stated he should stick to policy matters linked to the President’s address.
Ruckus in Parliament over unpublished book
An originally Budget-led conversation strayed onto a different path when BJP MP Tejasvi Surya tore into Congress during the Lok Sabha debate, and took aim at Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi following his criticism of Sitharaman’s Sunday speech.
Citing Congress’ repeated election defeats, Surya argued that the political party had no credibility to question the government’s decisions on economic matters. In his attempts to counter BJP’s allegations about Congress “not being patriotic,” Gandhi pulled out a document related to the yet-to-be-published book “Four Stars of Destiny,” prompting instant commotion from all sides.
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Gandhi accused the leading party of “not allowing” the book to be published, as it contained previously unknown details about the 2020 India-China military clash in Galwan valley in the Indian territory of Ladakh.
Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla objected to RaGa fuelling a debate based on claims made in an unpublished memoir instead of sticking to the President’s Motion of Address.
LoP, Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi says," The Defence Minister, Home Minister and the Prime Minister raise questions on our party, party leaders, and our nationalism. This article writes about the PM's character…This is neither about China, nor the PM…"
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla… pic.twitter.com/eL00I5IoSG
— ANI (@ANI) February 2, 2026 Gandhi, on the other hand, insisted on reading out an excerpt of the memoir in question, which was quoted in a recently published magazine article. The mere mention of the phrase “Chinese tanks in Doklam” provoked staunch interjections, while PM Modi watched the situation slip out of control quietly.
As clashing views emerged on whether excerpts from a yet-to-be-published book could be quoted in the public forum, Birla said, “Even if it’s published, quoting from any book unrelated to House proceedings is not allowed.”
Although the Lok Sabha Speaker urged him to avoid speaking on matters unrelated to the President’s address, Rahul said, “Gen Naravane’s book speaks on the character of PM Modi and Rajnath Singh. You should let me raise it. It is not something about China; it is about PM…,” only to be cut off mid-sentence.
Book controversy that fuelled the fiery post-Budget Parliament showdown
The whole debate on Monday revolved around a typescript of “Four Stars of Destiny,” which has been viewed by The Caravan. The memoir in question was slated to be released in 2024, with Penguin Books serving as the publisher. Although listed on Amazon, the book has yet to be formally made available to the masses.
On January 31, The Caravan magazine brought the supposedly forgotten book struggling to find an outlet back to the forefront by publishing the essay titled “Naravane’s Moment of Truth.”
#WATCH | Delhi: Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi says, "This is not me, this is what the Army Chief (former) has written in a book. The book is not being allowed to be published. It is languishing, and this is the Army Chief's perspective. Why are they so scared of the… pic.twitter.com/GnWYRAPYIA
— ANI (@ANI) February 2, 2026 The essay’s summary text itself was enough to brew up a divisive political storm over its direct mention of the Indian prime minister. “An army chief’s unpublished memoir exposes how the Modi government spun the China border crisis,” it reads.
The essay quoted Manoj Mukund Naravane’s experience as voiced in his autobiography. The now-retired Indian Army General was chief of the army staff from December 2019 to April 2022.
Parts of the controversial book highlighted in the Caravan article sought to illustrate a distressing picture of the scene Naravane faced in the line of duty on August 31, 2020. The article alludes to how “Four Chinese tanks, supported by infantry, had begun moving up a steep mountain track towards Rechin La in eastern Ladakh.” Lieutenant General Yogesh Joshi reported the movement on the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC) to the then-chief of army staff, the magazine article stated.
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Upon receiving the word, Naravane is said to have begun frantically calling “leaders of India’s political and military establishment, including Rajnath Singh, the defence minister; Ajit Doval, the national security advisor; General Bipin Rawat, the chief of defence staff; and S Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs,” as stated in the Caravan essay.
As previously reported by the Indian Express, Singh reportedly relayed PM Modi’s approval, telling the then-army chief, “Jo ucchit samjho woh karo” (Do whatever you deem appropriate).”
Why is Naravane’s book yet not published?
The controversy surrounding Naravane’s first book is centred around its release status being stuck in limbo due to revelations about highly sensitive military operations and government handling. Although awaiting clearance for the public go-ahead when a book contains sensitive information is standard procedure, the book still hasn’t been published after over a year.
As Naravane’s memoir is said to be undergoing reviews at the behest of the Ministry of Defence, it reportedly also includes comments on the 2022 Agnipath recruitment scheme.
As per the Indian Express, the retired army official portrayed it as a politically driven campaign rejecting military advice. With excerpts of the book first published in December 2023, the Indian Army and Ministry of Defence initiated a review in January 2024.
Responding to his book’s still unreleased status at the Khushwant Singh Literature Festival in October 2025, Naravane said his “job was to write the book and give it to the publishers.” He noted that it was the publisher’s duty to seek permission from the Ministry of Defence.
“It is not for me to follow up. The ball is in the publisher’s and the MoD’s court. But I enjoyed writing the book, for better or for worse. And that’s that. It is for the MoD to give permission as and when they deem fit,” he added at the time.
The book still doesn’t have a confirmed release date in sight. |
