The Leader of the Opposition quotes the former army chief Naravane’s claim that the prime minister abdicated responsibility
NEW DELHI – In a move to counter the government’s claim that the contentious book had not been published and did not exist, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, accompanied by other party MPs, on Wednesday displayed copies of former army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane’s autobiography Four Stars of Destiny outside Parliament House.
Quoting the book, Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had abdicated responsibility during the Ladakh crisis, and said the government was now trying to deny the very existence of the book despite it being in the public domain.
Addressing the media at the Parliament House precinct, Gandhi displayed General Naravane’s book and said that the government, the Speaker and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were claiming that the book “does not exist”. He said every young Indian should see that the book exists and that it contains a detailed first-hand account of events in Ladakh.
Quoting from the book, Gandhi said that when Chinese tanks entered Indian territory at the Kailash Ridge, the army sought political clearance to respond, as it had been barred from taking any action without approval. He claimed that the defence minister initially did not respond and later conveyed that he would consult the top leadership.
The Leader of the Opposition said the standing instruction was that Chinese forces should not be fired upon without permission, despite their incursion into Indian territory.
Gandhi quoted General Naravane as having written that he “felt really alone” and was “abandoned by the entire establishment”. Referring to the book, he said the prime minister’s message to the army chief, “Do whatever you deem appropriate”, showed that Prime Minister Modi had evaded responsibility and left the army chief to decide alone during a critical moment.
To another question, Gandhi said he did not expect the prime minister to come to the Lok Sabha, adding that if Modi did appear, he would personally hand over the book to him. He said the prime minister should read the book, adding that the country could know “the truth” about what transpired during the Ladakh standoff.
