Lok Sabha adjourned amid uproar over Rahul Gandhi seeking to quote ex-army chief’s memoir

Proceedings in the Lok Sabha were adjourned for the day on Monday after repeated disruptions over Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to quote from what he described as a “memoir” of former Army chief M. M. Naravane on the 2020 India–China conflict, drawing strong objections from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and members of the ruling BJP.

The controversy erupted when Gandhi rose to speak during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address and sought to respond to remarks by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, who had questioned the Congress party’s record on nationalism.

As Gandhi began quoting from what he claimed was Naravane’s memoir, Singh objected, asking whether the book had been published. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla disallowed the reference, stating that no unpublished book or newspaper clipping unrelated to the listed business could be cited in the House.

Despite repeated rulings by the Speaker, Gandhi insisted that the material was authenticated and said he was quoting from a magazine article. The Speaker again disallowed the reference, leading to noisy scenes and sharp exchanges between treasury and opposition benches.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju urged Gandhi to abide by the Speaker’s ruling, warning that repeated disregard for House rules set a poor example for young MPs. He said the House may have to consider action if the Leader of Opposition continued to flout procedure.

Singh accused Gandhi of misleading the House and questioned why Naravane had not approached the courts if the alleged contents of the book were objectionable. Government sources later alleged that Gandhi was reading “concocted” material related to China and accused the Congress of historical failures on the issue.

Gandhi maintained that he did not intend to raise the matter but was compelled to respond after the BJP questioned the Congress party’s patriotism.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav backed Gandhi and appealed to the Speaker to allow him to speak. Other opposition leaders, including TMC MPs Mahua Moitra and Kalyan Banerjee, RJD’s Manoj Jha, and Yadav, also rallied behind the Congress leader.

With the stalemate continuing, Birla adjourned the House till 3 pm. When proceedings resumed, Gandhi again attempted to raise the India–China border issue, triggering fresh protests from the treasury benches, with Rijiju cautioning against statements that could be seen as belittling the armed forces.

As the deadlock persisted, the Speaker adjourned the House first till 4 pm and later for the day.