Rahul should have been allowed to quote Naravane’s memoir in Lok Sabha: Sharad Pawar

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said that Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi should have been allowed to quote from the unpublished memoir of former Army chief M. M. Naravane in the Lok Sabha, asserting that a parliamentary discussion would have helped bring clarity on the 2020 India-China military stand-off.

The controversy revolves around Naravane’s unpublished memoir, Four Stars of Destiny, which reportedly contains references to key events and decision-making during the India-China standoff in eastern Ladakh in 2020.

A major confrontation broke out in the Lok Sabha on Monday when Gandhi attempted to quote from the memoir during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and several BJP members objected, arguing that quoting from an unpublished book was not permissible and accusing the Congress leader of misleading the House. The disruption led to repeated adjournments and ultimately the House being adjourned for the day.

Addressing a press conference in Baramati, Pawar said Gandhi should have been given the opportunity to place his views before Parliament.

“If a former Army chief has written something and the Leader of Opposition wants to refer to it, then it is his right. He should have been allowed to speak on the subject in Parliament,” Pawar said.

He added that there was no reason to create an atmosphere of suspicion around the issue.

“The former Army chief has written something which indicates that there was a concerning situation at that time. If a discussion had taken place in Parliament, the people of the country could have got a clear and complete picture,” the Rajya Sabha member said.

Pawar also questioned the objection raised after Gandhi produced a copy of the memoir in the House. He noted that while the book is unpublished, the Lok Sabha Speaker had asked Gandhi to authenticate the copy he was holding.

“After the copy was authenticated, why was there still opposition to him speaking?” Pawar asked.

Earlier on Wednesday, Gandhi again cited Naravane’s unpublished memoir to allege that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not fulfil his responsibility during the 2020 India-China conflict and had passed critical decisions on to the then Army chief.

Speaking to reporters in the Parliament House complex, Gandhi held up a copy of the memoir and said he wanted young Indians to know that the book exists, despite the government maintaining that it has not been published. He claimed that Naravane’s account detailed what transpired in Ladakh during the standoff.

Gandhi also wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, lodging a formal protest against being disallowed from speaking on what he termed a matter of national security. In his letter, he described the incident as a “blot on our democracy”.

The Congress leader further claimed that it was for the first time in parliamentary history that a Leader of Opposition was prevented from speaking during the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address.

The BJP, however, has maintained that parliamentary rules do not permit members to quote from unpublished material and has accused Gandhi of attempting to politicise national security issues.

The episode has intensified the political confrontation between the government and the opposition in the ongoing Budget session, with opposition parties alleging curbs on debate, while the ruling side insists that parliamentary procedure must be followed.