An uproar erupted in the Lok Sabha on Monday as Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi quoted excerpts from an unpublished book in his speech. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh objected, while Gandhi maintained that the book was an authentic source, claiming it to be an unpublished memoir of former Chief of Army Staff Manoj Mukund Naravane.
The ruckus took place during LoP Rahul Gandhi’s reply to the motion of thanks on President Droupadi Murmu‘s address.
Here’s how the ruckus unfolded:
Rahul Gandhi, seeking to counter the BJP’s charge of “Congress not being patriotic”, referred to a phrase, “Chinese tanks in Doklam”, from excerpts he cited during his speech. This prompted Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to rise and object, demanding to know whether the book has been published or not.
“It has not been published. He cannot claim to quote from it. I can say with confidence, the book has not been published,” Singh said.
Home Minister Amit Shah also intervened, asking, “When the book has not even been published, how can he (Rahul) quote from it?”
Following this, Speaker Om Birla agreed with the union ministers and cited parliamentary norms, saying, “Rules and conventions, too, say newspaper clippings, books, other such things that are not authentic cannot be cited in the House.” He then asked Rahul Gandhi to continue his speech without referring to that portion about the excerpt.
However, Rahul Gandhi insisted that The Caravan magazine had “100% genuine” excerpts of the book. “Rajnath ji is mentioned in it,” he said. Subsequently, Congress MPs urged the Speaker to allow him to quote from the article. “They (government) can respond thereafter,” Congress MP KC Venugopal told Birla.
However, Birla, and later Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, reiterated rules against quoting from a book, especially when “not published.” BJP MP Nishikant Dubhey also pointed out the rules.
Following this, Birla further clarified, “Even if it’s published, quoting from any book unrelated to House proceedings is not allowed.”
As the uproar dragged on, Gandhi asked Birla, “You, speaker sir, do not want me to quote from this magazine; so can I at least describe it?” Birla responded, “No, I have given my ruling.”
Rahul Gandhi then again referred to “Chinese tanks”, prompting Rajnath Singh to intervene once again. “This is an effort to mislead the House,” the defence minister said.
At this point, Rahul Gandhi avoided naming China and said, “Some country’s tanks were approaching some country…”.
When Birla stopped him again, Rahul asked, “You tell me, sir, what I should speak!”
“I am not your adviser!” Birla replied. “You should follow the rules. You are Leader of the Opposition. The country can decide if you are maintaining the dignity of the position.”
Kiren Rijiju then demanded a discussion on “what to do with a member (Rahul) who refuses to follow rules”.
The uproar, however, continued as Rahul Gandhi stressed that the excerpt he was quoting was relavant to the discussion as it was about the “character of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh”.
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