Rahul Gandhi triggered tense scenes in Parliament on Monday when the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition began his speech during the Budget Session. The situation escalated after he tried to read sections from an unpublished memoir by former Army Chief General Manoj Naravane. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh interrupted him and sparked a heated exchange in the House.
During the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, Rahul Gandhi referred to the memoir. Rajnath Singh questioned the authenticity of the reference and asked Gandhi to confirm whether the book had been officially published. He said members must not quote unpublished content in Parliament and insisted that the book remains unreleased.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also objected and said members must avoid citing newspapers, unofficial writings, or unauthenticated sources in the House. Speaker Om Birla backed the ministers and cited parliamentary rules and conventions that discourage such references during debates.
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Rahul Gandhi’s Citation of Unpublished Army Memoir Sparks Heated Exchange with Rajnath Singh in Parliament
Rahul Gandhi defended his remarks and said The Caravan magazine published genuine excerpts from the memoir. He claimed the content mentioned Rajnath Singh. Congress leaders, including KC Venugopal, urged the Speaker to let Gandhi continue. They said the government could respond after his speech.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey repeated that parliamentary rules restrict quoting from books, especially unpublished ones. Speaker Birla warned members against referencing books unrelated to parliamentary discussions, even if they are published. Supporting Gandhi, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav highlighted the sensitivity of China-related issues and said Gandhi should present his views.
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