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Political row erupts in India over ex-army chief's unpublished memoir
India's opposition leader Rahul Gandhi caused uproar in parliament when he tried to quote passages from a former army chief's unpublished memoir, in which the country's top political leaders are accused of failing to give clear directions during the 2020 military standoff with China.
The allegation is made in General MM Naravane's unpublished book Four Stars of Destiny, which has been awaiting government clearance since 2024.
Twenty Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops were killed in the 2020 border brawl.
The claims have triggered a political row, bringing parliament to a standstill. Gandhi was repeatedly interrupted as he tried to read from the book in a debate on Wednesday.
He later said the memoir claimed that as Chinese tanks advanced at Indian positions, Naravane was told "to do what he deemed appropriate".
India and China clashed along their disputed Himalayan border in the summer of 2020 in the Galwan river valley in Ladakh, marking their first fatal confrontation since 1975.
Tensions eased in 2024 after years of military and diplomatic negotiations, with both sides agreeing to disengage in affected border areas.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP party accused Gandhi of insulting Indian soldiers and breaking parliamentary rules by trying to read from an unpublished book. Naravane is yet to comment on the furore.
His memoir has been making headlines in India since the weekend after The Caravan magazine published an essay containing passages that it said were excerpts from the unreleased manuscript.
The BBC has not seen the manuscript and cannot independently verify the excerpts. It has contacted Naravane and his publisher, Penguin Random House, for comment.
On Monday, Gandhi tried to read passages from a photocopy of the article during a discussion in the lower house of parliament.
"This is about when four Chinese tanks were entering Indian territory," he said, before he was stopped from speaking further.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said he told leaders from the Congress party that Gandhi could continue his speech. "However, what the former army chief did not say, what is not true, and what is not permitted under the rules should not be forced upon the house," he added.
This wasn't the first time the Congress leader had criticised the government over China.
He has repeatedly accused the Modi government of "giving away" Indian territory to China during the 2020 standoff. The government has strongly rejected the allegations, insisting no land was lost.
In parliament on Monday, Gandhi's comments about Naravane's memoir were interrupted by members of the BJP, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah, who accused him of violating parliamentary rules by quoting from an unpublished book and misleading the house.
The defence minister said "Rahul Gandhi should present before the house the book he is quoting from, because the book he is referring to has not been published".
Gandhi insisted that his source was "authentic" and that he was entitled to quote from it. The noisy exchanges between the governing and opposition benches led to proceedings being adjourned for the day on Monday.
But disruptions continued on Tuesday, when Gandhi attempted to raise the issue again in the house. He was stopped again, sparking fresh protests from opposition leaders. Eight Congress MPs were later suspended for disorderly conduct.
On Wednesday, Gandhi held up a copy of the unpublished book to reporters outside parliament, saying Singh's statement that the book did not exist was untrue.
He quoted from the book to say that "the standing order was not to fire upon Chinese troops if they entered Indian territory without asking the top leadership".
When the former army chief repeatedly called Rajnath Singh, he relayed a message from Modi effectively leaving the decision to Naravane, he said.
"I felt really alone. I was abandoned by the entire establishment," Gandhi quoted Naravane as saying. He added that this showed "that PM Modi had abdicated responsibility during the Ladakh crisis".
Naravane served as India's army chief from 2019 to 2022.
His memoir, which reportedly covers his personal life and career, was expected to be published in 2024 but has been delayed amid reports that it contains sensitive operational details of the military standoff.
The reasons for the delay have not been officially disclosed by the publisher. But in April last year, Narvane told a Hindi YouTube channel that discussions were under way between Penguin Random House and the defence ministry to secure the required clearances.
"My job was to write the book and give it to the publisher, now it is their job to take it forward," he said.
Under existing rules, retired intelligence and security officials are barred from publishing material that could affect India's "sovereignty and integrity" and need clearance from their former organisations before doing so.
Speaking to India Today channel earlier this week, retired army general KJS Dhillon said that any serving or retired officer wishing to publish a book containing operational details must submit the manuscript to army headquarters for approval.
After that, he said, there could be three possible outcomes: approval if no sensitive information is found; consultations with the author if concerns are raised; or rejection if the material is deemed to risk national security or operational plans.
Naravane is not the first retired army officer to write about India's military confrontations with its neighbours.
In 2006, former army chief Gen VP Malik published an account of India's 1999 war with Pakistan. Dhillon has also written about his tenure as the top military commander in Indian-administered Kashmir, as well as a separate book on India's 2025 military tensions with Pakistan.
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Source: BBC
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