NEW DELHI: Former Indian Army chief Manoj Mukund Naravane, whose unpublished memoir has triggered a major political controversy, on Tuesday backed his publisher Penguin’s statement on the matter.“This is the status of the book,” Naravane wrote on X, sharing a screenshot of Penguin’s statement.
General (retired) Naravane’s reaction came a day after the Delhi Police registered an FIR over the circulation of his book, “Four Stars of Destiny.” An excerpt from the unpublished memoir was sought to be quoted by Lok Sabha leader of opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in the House on February 2, but he was blocked by the treasury benches, triggering the controversy.The treasury benches argued that House rules do not permit members to cite unpublished material. They also pointed out to Gandhi that he was not speaking on the listed subject — the Motion of Thanks to President Droupadi Murmu’s address, which marked the commencement of Parliament’s Budget session on January 28.The controversy has led to repeated adjournments of the Lok Sabha. Opposition parties have moved a no-confidence motion seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla, accusing him of repeatedly siding with the government and “blocking” Gandhi from speaking at the government’s behest.What Penguin saidAs the controversy escalated, Penguin said in a statement on Monday: “We hold the sole publishing rights for the book Four Stars of Destiny. We wish to make it clear that the book has not gone into publication. No copies have been made available to the public by Penguin Random House India. Any copies currently in circulation constitute an infringement of PRHI’s copyright and must immediately be ceased. PRHI shall be exercising remedies available in law against the illegal and unauthorised dissemination of the book.”The memoir is yet to be vetted by the Ministry of Defence.What is the controversial excerpt?The excerpt was published by an online portal. In it, Naravane, who was the 28th Chief of Army Staff from December 2019 to April 2022, quotes defence minister Rajnath Singh as conveying Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message: “Jo uchit samjho woh karo” (take whatever action you deem appropriate).The purported remarks were made in August 2020, at the height of the India–China military standoff in eastern Ladakh.The Opposition has claimed that the vagueness of the alleged instructions amounted to an “abdication” of responsibility by PM Modi during the crisis.
