New Delhi: The Lok Sabha witnessed repeated disruptions and adjournments on Monday after Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote from an unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General Manoj Naravane during his speech on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address. The move triggered strong objections from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, leading to a prolonged standoff and eventual adjournment of the House for the day.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present in the House when Rahul Gandhi began referring to excerpts he said were from General Naravane’s unpublished book and related commentary on the Doklam and Galwan clashes between Indian and Chinese forces.
Attempt to cite unpublished memoir sparks objections
During his address, Rahul Gandhi sought to read passages attributed to General Naravane’s upcoming memoir and observations concerning India–China border tensions, including Doklam and Galwan. Treasury bench members immediately objected, questioning the authenticity and admissibility of quoting from an unpublished source.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh intervened first, asking whether the book had been officially published. He stated that the memoir had not yet been released and therefore could not be cited in the House.
“He should tell us if the said book has been published or not. It has not been published. He cannot claim to quote from it,” Rajnath Singh said, asserting that references to unpublished material violated House norms.
Amit Shah, Rijiju back rule-based objection
Union Home Minister Amit Shah reinforced the objection, saying members cannot quote from material that is not publicly available and authenticated.
“When the book has not even been published, how can he quote from it?” Shah asked. He added that unauthenticated material such as unpublished books or unverified documents should not be cited during proceedings.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey also supported the objection, stressing that parliamentary rules restrict the use of such references during debates.
Speaker Om Birla cited Rule 349(i) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, stating that a member shall not read any book, newspaper or letter except in connection with the business of the House, and even then subject to relevance and admissibility.
Rahul Gandhi insists on magazine excerpts
Despite repeated directions from the Speaker, Rahul Gandhi persisted, saying that a magazine article had published what he described as genuine excerpts from the memoir. He referred specifically to a reported transcript carried by a national magazine and maintained that the material was authentic.
He argued that the excerpts were relevant to national security discussions and government handling of border tensions. Rahul Gandhi also said that references in the text included mentions of senior ministers and were therefore in the public interest to discuss.
Congress members supported him, urging the Speaker to allow the references and let the government respond afterward. Congress MP KC Venugopal said the treasury benches could counter the points instead of blocking them.
Opposition backs right to raise China issue
Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav spoke in support of allowing the discussion, stating that matters relating to China and border security are serious and deserve open debate in Parliament. He argued that the Leader of the Opposition should be allowed to present his points fully.
Opposition MPs protested what they described as repeated interruptions, while treasury bench members insisted that rules must be followed strictly regardless of the issue raised.
Rahul Gandhi later remarked that the government’s resistance to his remarks showed it was “uncomfortable” with the subject he was raising.
Multiple adjournments through the afternoon
The House was adjourned multiple times between about 2 pm and 4.20 pm as disruptions continued each time Rahul Gandhi attempted to resume quoting from the material. Proceedings were paused at least three times within roughly two hours due to the deadlock.
After one of the resumptions, Rahul Gandhi questioned why the Prime Minister and Home Minister were no longer present in the House during the later part of the debate.
Despite efforts to restore order, the standoff persisted, and the Lok Sabha was finally adjourned for the day.
Ministers meet Speaker after disruption
Following the adjournment, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla regarding the developments and procedural issues that arose during the debate.
No formal ruling beyond the Speaker’s on-record directions was immediately announced, but sources indicated that admissibility of references and authentication standards may be reviewed again in the Business Advisory framework if similar disputes recur.
Conclusion
The clash over citing an unpublished military memoir has added to rising tensions between the government and the Opposition during the Budget session. With national security, parliamentary rules and source authenticity at the centre of the dispute, further confrontations on admissibility and debate scope are likely in the days ahead.