House erupts in chaos as LoP Gandhi cites ex-Army chief’s memoir on Ladakh stand-off

The uproar went on for about 50 minutes with Speaker Om Birla repeatedly stating that no book or newspaper clipping can be quoted on a matter not related to the proceedings of the House.

New Delhi: In a recent war of words over the unpublished “memoir” of former Army chief Gen (retd) M M Naravane, a row erupted in the Lok Sabha on Monday after Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi sought to quote a part of the book mentioning India’s recent Ladakh stand-off with China. As Rahul Gandhi tried to quote the part of the unpublished book, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, along with other BJP members, strongly opposed it, accusing the Congress leader of “misleading” the House. Here are all the details you need to know about the fresh political battle between Rahul Gandhi and the government leaders.

Rahul Gandhi vs Rajnath Singh: What happened in Lok Sabha?

As Gandhi rose to speak on the Motion of Thanks to the president’s address, he said he would first like to respond to the charges made by the previous speaker, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, against the Congress on nationalism and began quoting from what he stated was the “memoir” of Gen. Naravane. However, Singh strongly protested this and asked Gandhi to clarify whether the book had been published or not.

The uproar went on for about 50 minutes with Speaker Om Birla repeatedly stating that no book or newspaper clipping can be quoted on a matter not related to the proceedings of the House, and Gandhi insisting that the document was authenticated and he could quote from it.

What Rahul Gandhi said on the issue?

Reacting to the same, Rahul Gandhi said he never wanted to speak on the particular issue, but decided to do so after BJP’s Surya questioned the patriotism of the Congress party. Singh maintained that the book had not been published. Gandhi then said he was quoting from a magazine article to put forth his views.

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The Speaker disallowed it, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju called for the Speaker’s ruling to be adhered to.

Rijiju said if the leader of the opposition repeatedly ignores the Speaker’s ruling and flouts rules, the House will have to discuss what action should be taken against such a member.

“I want that LoP, Lok Sabha (Rahul Gandhi), should present before the House the book he is quoting from, because the book he is referring to has not been published,” said Rajnath Singh.

(With inputs from agencies)

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The Times Of Bengal