Rahul Gandhi 'I believe Naravane over Penguin,' cites old post on Naravane’s book

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday questioned the claim that former Army chief General M.M. Naravane’s memoir has not been published, citing a December 2023 social media post by the general stating that the book was “available now”.

Speaking to reporters in the Parliament House complex, Gandhi read out the post in which Naravane had shared a link to the book and invited readers to buy it. He said the post contradicted the publisher’s assertion that the memoir has not gone into publication.

Gandhi argued that the two versions could not both be true, saying he was inclined to believe the former Army chief. He added that he did not think Naravane would mislead the public, and questioned why the book had earlier been publicly promoted if it was unpublished.

The Congress leader alleged that the controversy may stem from certain statements in the memoir that are inconvenient for the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said this was the real issue behind the objections raised to citing the book in the Lok Sabha.

The publisher has maintained that it holds exclusive rights to the memoir Four Stars of Destiny and that no copies, in print or digital form, have been released. The clarification followed an FIR by Delhi Police over the alleged unauthorised circulation of the manuscript, an issue that has also triggered repeated disruptions in Parliament.