The Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon on Tuesday after opposition members created a ruckus. When the House assembled, Speaker Om Birla made an obituary reference to former MP Surupsing Hirya Naik. Members then observed silence to honour the departed leader.

Soon after, the House moved to Question Hour. Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai began replying to a question on a CAPF training institution. However, he could not finish his reply as opposition members raised slogans.

Speaker Om Birla expressed concern over the disruption. He appealed to members to allow the House to function. Despite this, protests continued. As a result, the Speaker adjourned the House till 12 noon.

Monday’s Chaos Linked To Naravane Book Row

The disruption followed a chaotic scene in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The trouble began when Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi referred to an unpublished book by former Army chief General MM Naravane, HT had reported earlier.

The reference triggered strong objections from the treasury benches. Union home minister Amit Shah and defence minister Rajnath Singh argued that members can quote only formally published material in the House.

Because of the uproar, the Speaker first adjourned the House till 3 pm. He then adjourned it till 4 pm. Later, he adjourned the proceedings for the entire day.

Why The Naravane Reference Sparked A Row

Rahul Gandhi mentioned Naravane’s unpublished memoir while speaking on the 2020 India-China conflict. He tried to use the reference to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi and defence minister Rajnath Singh.

BJP leaders immediately objected. They accused Gandhi of misleading the House and insulting the armed forces.

Gandhi responded by claiming that the government was afraid of a line he wanted to quote. He also said he would raise the same issue in the Rajya Sabha.

The BJP countered his claims. Party leaders said Gandhi undermined the dignity of Parliament and hurt the sentiments of Indian soldiers. Several BJP members accused him of “speaking the language of anti-India elements”.

Speaker Stops Rahul Gandhi

Speaker Om Birla did not allow Gandhi to continue with the reference. Heated exchanges followed between ruling party and opposition members.

As tempers flared, the Speaker adjourned the House twice and later suspended proceedings for the day.

What Happened Inside The House

Rahul Gandhi rose to speak during the motion of thanks to the President’s address. He said he wanted to reply to allegations made by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on nationalism.

After that, he attempted to quote from what he called Naravane’s “memoir” on the 2020 India-China conflict.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh and home minister Amit Shah objected strongly. They asked whether the book had been published.

The ruckus continued for nearly 50 minutes. Speaker Om Birla repeatedly said that no book or newspaper clipping unrelated to House business could be quoted. Gandhi insisted that the document was authenticated and that he had the right to quote from it.

As Rajnath Singh pointed out that the book was unpublished, BJP leader Kiren Rijiju supported the Speaker’s ruling. He urged strict adherence to parliamentary rules.

Rijiju warned that if the Leader of Opposition continued to quote the memoir despite the ruling, the House would need to consider action against him.

Government sources later said Gandhi was reading “concocted things” on China. They added that plenty of material already exists in the public domain about decisions taken by India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru on China. PTI quoted sources as saying Nehru “surrendered thousands of acres of land just to further his own statesmanship”.

Rahul Gandhi Defends His Stand

When the House reassembled at 4 pm, Rahul Gandhi said he was raising a national security issue.

He claimed the government stopped him because the book criticises Prime Minister Modi and Rajnath Singh over the 2020 China conflict.

“It is uncomfortable for the defence minister and the prime minister, I understand. I consider national security the most important issue. If it was not uncomfortable, they would have let me speak, but the fact that they are not allowing me to speak shows that they are uncomfortable,” Gandhi said.

He added, “Naravane ji has written about the prime minister and Rajnath Singh ji clearly in his book, which has appeared in an article, and I am quoting from that article. They are scared because if it comes out, the reality of Narendra Modi ji and Rajnath Singh ji will be revealed. What happened to the 56-inch chest when China was before us and advancing?”

Kharge Backs Rahul Gandhi

Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge backed Gandhi on social media. He questioned why the BJP leadership appeared rattled by the book.

“What exactly is written in the former Army Chief's book that has the big-shot ministers of the Modi government so rattled? Who is stopping his book from being published? The entire country knows that the BJP's nationalism is fake!” Kharge said in a post in Hindi on X.