Uproar in LS as Rahul seeks to quote from memoir of ex-Army Chief

A row erupted in the Lok Sabha on Monday after the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, sought to quote from what he said was the memoir of former Army chief M M Naravane, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah objecting on the grounds that the book has not yet been published. As Gandhi rose to speak on the Motion of Thanks to the president's address and began quoting from the book, Singh asked him to clarify whether the book had been published or not. The Congress leader insisted that the document was authenticated and he could quote from it. He said he never wanted to speak on the particular issue, but decided to do so after BJP's Tejasvi Surya questioned the patriotism of the Congress party. Singh, however, maintained that the book had not been published. Speaker Om Birla cited rules, saying no book or newspaper clipping can be quoted on a matter not related to the proceedings of the House. Initiating the debate from the opposition's side on the Motion of Thanks, Gandhi then said he was quoting from a magazine article to put forth his views. The defence minister accused Gandhi of "misleading the House". 

VIDEO | Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi says, “Speaker sir, please tell me which rule says I cannot speak on India-China relations.”

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla replies, “Honourable members, the subject listed for discussion does not include India or China. It is expected that we all… pic.twitter.com/zYhJWBqdm3

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 2, 2026

Rahul Gandhi, carrying a printout of the magazine, repeatedly tried to initiate a conversation on the book, but was summarily shot down by not just the Defence Minister, but also by Home Minister Amit Shah and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. Rahul Gandhi's repeated utterance of the phrase "Chinese tanks" was met with opposition from virtually every BJP leader in the House. "When the book has not even been published, how can he quote from it?" asked Amit Shah. The Congress leader insisted that the article and the book he was quoting were "100% authentic". The 55-year-old added that he did not want to talk about the issue but was compelled to after the BJP's Tejasvi Surya "questioned" his and the Congress party's patriotism. Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav supported Gandhi and urged the Speaker to allow the Congress leader to speak.