Lok Sabha Uproar After Rahul Gandhi Cites Ex-Army Chief’s Memoir, Rajnath Singh Objects

The Lok Sabha witnessed noisy scenes during the Budget Session on Monday, as arguments over procedure stopped business and forced an adjournment till 3 pm. Members clashed over whether an unpublished book could be mentioned in a speech, turning a planned discussion on national security into a rules-based confrontation.

The confrontation began after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi started speaking on national security issues. Gandhi referred to excerpts carried by The Caravan magazine from a yet-to-be-published book by former Army Chief General Manoj Naravane. Treasury bench MPs immediately objected, and the atmosphere in the House grew tense within minutes.

Lok Sabha Budget Session dispute over Rahul Gandhi remarks

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh argued that Gandhi was not quoting from a released book, but from a magazine piece based on an unpublished manuscript. Singh said this went against established parliamentary traditions. Home Minister Amit Shah supported this view, asking how material not yet available in the public domain could be used inside Parliament.

Speaker Om Birla backed the government's position and reminded members that House conventions disallow reliance on unauthenticated sources, such as unpublished books or magazine reports. Birla directed Gandhi to continue without referring to the book. Gandhi declined to step back, insisting that The Caravan's excerpts were accurate and "100 per cent genuine," and claiming that Rajnath Singh was mentioned in the narrative.

Lok Sabha Budget Session dispute as parties trade rule objections

The comment led to loud protests from BJP MPs, while Congress members pressed that Gandhi should be allowed to finish. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey repeatedly cited rule provisions to block the reference. Congress MP KC Venugopal countered that the government could respond after Gandhi completed the speech, accusing the treasury benches of using procedure to sidestep difficult questions.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav added support to the opposition side, stressing that matters linked to China and national security were too serious to suppress. With tempers rising and neither government nor opposition yielding ground for almost 45 minutes, Speaker Om Birla suspended the sitting, and the Lok Sabha stood adjourned till 3 pm.