Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday (February 4) said he would personally present former Army chief General MM Naravane’s memoir to Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the Prime Minister speaks in the House.
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, the Congress MP said the book contains detailed accounts of key decisions taken during the standoff with China and that he had been told he could not quote from it inside Parliament.
‘I Will Give Him This Book’
“When Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak in the House, I will give him this book of Naravane ji,” Rahul Gandhi told reporters.
He said the memoir was written “in full detail”, adding, “I have been told I cannot quote from the book, but it is fully written. It contains the main line and the Prime Minister has said that you should do whatever you deem appropriate.”
Claims On Kailash Ridge Episode
Rahul Gandhi referred to an episode described in the book involving the movement of Chinese forces. According to him, then Army chief General Naravane had called Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to report that “Chinese tanks have arrived at Kailash Ridge”.
He alleged that Rajnath Singh initially did not respond, and that General Naravane also reached out to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Home Minister Amit Shah and the National Security Adviser, but received no response.
‘Do Whatever You Deem Appropriate’
Rahul Gandhi said General Naravane later spoke again to Rajnath Singh, who told him he would consult the “top brass”. He claimed the orders conveyed were that “if Chinese forces enter our territory, they won’t fire without first informing me”.
According to Rahul Gandhi, “Naravane and the army wanted to fire at that time, but Narendra Modi sent a message to do whatever they deemed appropriate.”
‘Alone And Helpless’
Alleging a failure of leadership, Rahul Gandhi said, “Narendra Modi didn’t understand his responsibility,” adding that the Prime Minister told the Army to do what they deemed appropriate, saying, “It’s beyond my control.”
He further claimed that General Naravane wrote in his book, “At that time, I was completely alone and helpless.”
Rahul Gandhi reiterated that he would personally hand over the book to the Prime Minister when he returns to the House.
