Opposition, govt lock horns in Lok Sabha over Rahul Gandhi's attempt to quote Naravane memoir

An uproar broke out in the Lok Sabha on Monday after Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote from what he said was the memoir of former Army chief M M Naravane, drawing objections from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah, who said the book had not yet been published.

As Rahul rose to speak during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address and began citing passages from the memoir, Singh intervened, seeking clarification on whether the book was in the public domain.

The Congress leader maintained that the document he was referring to was authenticated and asserted that he was entitled to quote from it. He added that he had not intended to speak on the issue but chose to do so after BJP MP Tejasvi Surya questioned the Congress party's patriotism. 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, Rahul then said he was quoting from a magazine article to put forth his views. The defence minister accused him of "misleading the House".

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav supported Rahul and urged the Speaker to allow the Congress leader to speak.