New Delhi, Feb 2: The Lok Sabha witnessed a heated confrontation on Monday as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah spearheaded a government offensive against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. The row began when Gandhi attempted to cite an unpublished memoir by former Army chief General M M Naravane to question the government’s handling of Chinese incursions.
Speaker Om Birla ultimately adjourned the House until 3 p.m. after the treasury benches argued that citing unverified and unpublished literature violates parliamentary protocol. The standoff started when Gandhi, responding to earlier jabs at his party’s patriotism, shifted the focus to national security concerns in Doklam.
“The issue of nationalism cannot be reduced to slogans,” Gandhi said, referring to reports of Chinese tanks entering Indian territory. When he attempted to bolster his argument using General Naravane’s book, ‘Four Stars of Destiny’, the government immediately intervened.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh noted that only authenticated material is permitted on the floor. Supporting this stance, Home Minister Amit Shah stated that “anything” could be written in unpublished books and such reports should not be treated as credible evidence in the House.
“The Leader of Opposition should be allowed to speak on sensitive issues like China,” Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav said, coming to Gandhi’s defense. However, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju countered that the Chair’s ruling on the matter must be final.
The book in question is currently under review by the Ministry of Defence. It reportedly contains details regarding the 2020 border standoff and the Agnipath scheme. Speaker Birla reminded the House that under Rule 353, any allegations against a minister must be submitted in writing in advance.
