Rahul Gandhi, Kiren Rijiju (Images/Agencies)
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NEW DELHI: The Budget Session of Parliament witnessed sharp exchanges on Monday after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote from an unpublished memoir of former Army chief Gen MM Naravane (retd) during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.The incident triggered strong objections from the treasury benches, leading to repeated disruptions and adjournments. Following the prolonged deadlock, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day and will reconvene at 11 am on Tuesday.
The controversy erupted when Gandhi rose to respond to remarks by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, who had questioned the Congress party’s nationalism. Gandhi said that he wanted to counter those allegations by citing passages related to the India-China border situation from what he described as the former Army chief’s memoir.However, defence minister Rajnath Singh objected, questioning whether the book being cited had been formally published or authenticated. He told the House that unpublished material could not be quoted and accused the Congress leader of misleading Parliament.Speaker Om Birla subsequently ruled that unpublished books or magazine articles not directly related to the proceedings could not be read out in the House.
Despite the ruling, Congress leader maintained that the excerpts he was referring to were authentic and available through a published magazine article citing the memoir, triggering repeated protests from treasury benches and counter-sloganeering from the Opposition.
BJP slams Rahul Gandhi
Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju later accused Gandhi of defying the Speaker and violating House rules. Speaking to reporters, Rijiju said the Leader of Opposition had ignored the Chair’s ruling repeatedly.“Right from the beginning, Rahul Gandhi flouted rules. Even after the Speaker’s ruling, he kept repeating the same mistake and wasted half an hour of the House,” Rijiju said.
Union minister Giriraj Singh also criticised Gandhi’s conduct, calling it “childish behaviour.” He said the dignity of the House required members to adhere strictly to the agenda under discussion.“The way Rahul Gandhi is displaying indiscipline and refusing to obey the Speaker’s orders is unfortunate.
He should have confined himself to the President’s Address,” Singh said.BJP MP Jagdambika Pal described the episode as unprecedented and embarrassing. “This must have happened for the first time since Independence that a member was asked repeatedly to stop and still continued. His address was condemnable and action should be taken,” Pal said.
Opposition defends LoP, cites national security
The Opposition, however, rallied firmly behind Gandhi, accusing the government of stifling debate on national security.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said Gandhi was not attempting to defame the armed forces.“He was not trying to defame the army. He was reading an excerpt attributed to a former Army chief. The government always reacts like this when something uncomfortable comes out,” she said.Congress MP
said, "He never got a chance to lay out his concerns. The article does not blame the forces or the soldiers at all. The issue is about some of the decisions that were taken or not taken by the central government.
And that clearly is what Rahul ji intended to raise. All I can say is I think the government did not need to overreact."
Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda said that it was unfortunate that the Leader of Opposition was not allowed to speak on an issue of national importance. “National security is a crucial issue. Not allowing him to speak on this matter is not right. We hope the Speaker will give justice,” Hooda said.Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that Gandhi had raised substantive issues related to Doklam, Ladakh and India-China relations.
Accusing the government of avoiding scrutiny, Singhvi said, “Instead of answering questions, you are blocking them. This suppresses matters of public interest.”Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee alleged that Parliament was losing its democratic character. “Every right of MPs is being taken away. If someone has violated rules, there are procedures, but this is not the way,” he said.Congress MP Karti Chidambaram questioned the demand for an apology over historical events.
“What happened in 1962 happened in 1962. Rahul Gandhi was not part of the government then. We want to discuss the conduct of the present government, which the former Army chief has written about,” he said, adding that those views appeared “inconvenient” for the ruling dispensation.TMC MP Mahua Moitra widened the attack, alleging intimidation of Opposition voices both inside and outside Parliament. She cited restrictions faced by people at Banga Bhawan in Delhi as an example of shrinking democratic space.
As tempers flared, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav urged the Speaker to allow the Leader of Opposition to speak, saying issues related to China were sensitive and deserved discussion. Despite interventions, the deadlock persisted, forcing multiple adjournments of the Lok Sabha before proceedings were finally suspended for the day.During the session, Gandhi defended his attempt to raise the issue, asserting that national security should not be curtailed in parliamentary debate.
Speaking inside the House amid the uproar, he said that the matter had made the government uncomfortable.“I consider national security to be the most important issue in the country. I understand that it has made the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister uncomfortable. If they are not, they should allow me to speak. Rajnath Singh ji is sitting here and he is aware of this matter. He is the person who spoke to General Naravane,” Gandhi said.
'I'm quoting an article': Rahul Gandhi reiterates his stance
After the House was adjourned, the Congress leader reiterated his position while speaking to reporters outside Parliament, insisting that he was not expressing personal views but referring to the former Army chief’s account.“This is not me, this is what the Army Chief (former) has written in a book. The book is not being allowed to be published. It is languishing, and this is the Army Chief's perspective,” Gandhi said.Questioning the government’s objections, he asked why it was reluctant to allow discussion on the contents attributed to the memoir. “Why are they so scared of what the Army Chief has to say? We will learn something from it. Of course, we will learn something about a Prime Minister. We will learn something about Rajnath Singh ji. But we will also learn something about the Army and how it was let down by the political leadership of the country,” he said.
Congress leader further claimed that the references to the memoir had already appeared in a published article and that he was quoting from that source. “I am quoting the article. They are not letting me speak. They are scared because if it comes out, the reality of
and Rajnath Singh will be revealed to the people and what happened to the 56-inch chest when China was standing against us, advancing?” he asked.
