The Lok Sabha witnessed a tense confrontation between the Congress and BJP regarding former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane’s unpublished book on the 2020 Doklam stand-off between India and China. The exchange led to a direct face-off between LoP Rahul Gandhi and top Union Ministers, resulting in Speaker Om Birla adjourning the House till 3 p.m. Gandhi, in his response to the President’s address, raised concerns about the stand-off, citing details allegedly from an unverified book.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah interrupted Gandhi’s speech, challenging his claims about the book’s existence. Singh clarified that the book had not been published, accusing Gandhi of misleading the House. Despite this, Gandhi persisted in his accusations, claiming the government was obstructing the book’s publication. The chaotic scenes in the House escalated as both sides debated the legitimacy of citing information from an unverified source.
The Opposition’s demands to quote from the contentious book, which reportedly mentions “Chinese tanks in Doklam,” faced opposition from the government benches. Home Minister Amit Shah and Parliamentary Affairs Minister criticized the move as a breach of Parliamentary rules. Despite the Speaker’s attempts to mediate, the confrontation continued, leading to the House’s adjournment till 3 p.m.
