New Delhi: A heated exchange erupted in the Lok Sabha on Monday after Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote from what he described as the memoir of former Army chief General M M Naravane, prompting sharp objections from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah on the grounds that the book has not yet been published.
The disruption began as Gandhi rose to speak during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address. As he started reading excerpts from the purported memoir, Rajnath Singh intervened and asked whether the book had been officially published. Singh asserted that quoting from an unpublished work was inappropriate and against parliamentary norms.
Gandhi maintained that the document he was referring to was authenticated and that he was well within his rights to quote from it. He said he had not initially intended to raise the issue but felt compelled to do so after BJP MP Tejasvi Surya questioned the patriotism of the Congress party during the debate.
Despite Gandhi’s insistence, Rajnath Singh reiterated that the memoir was not in the public domain. Speaker Om Birla then stepped in, citing parliamentary rules that prohibit members from quoting books or newspaper clippings that are not directly connected to the proceedings of the House or are not officially available.
Following the Speaker’s intervention, Gandhi clarified that he was instead quoting from a magazine article to support his argument. This, however, did not defuse the situation. The Defence Minister accused the Congress leader of misleading the House, further intensifying the verbal sparring across the aisle.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav came out in support of Gandhi and urged the Speaker to allow the Leader of the Opposition to complete his remarks, arguing that the opposition should be given adequate space to express its views during the debate.
The episode added to the charged atmosphere in the Lok Sabha during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks, reflecting the deepening confrontation between the government and the opposition on issues of national security, parliamentary procedure, and political intent.
