A sharp confrontation unfolded in the Lok Sabha on Monday after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi referred to an unpublished book by former Army chief General MM Naravane while speaking on the 2020 India-China Ladakh stand-off, prompting strong objections from treasury benches.

Rahul Gandhi began his address by holding a printout of a magazine article that carried an essay on General Naravane’s yet-to-be-published memoir, Four Stars of Destiny. The reference immediately drew an intervention from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who objected to the citation, saying quoting an unpublished book violated parliamentary rules.

Objections from treasury benches

Rajnath Singh demanded that the Leader of Opposition place the book before the House, arguing that since the memoir had not been formally published, its contents could not be cited during proceedings. The objection was echoed by Home Minister Amit Shah, who questioned how references could be made to material that was not publicly available.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju went a step further, suggesting that the House should deliberate on action against members who do not comply with the Speaker’s rulings.

As Rahul Gandhi persisted, repeatedly referring to “Chinese tanks” while discussing the eastern Ladakh situation, the opposition from BJP members intensified, leading to sustained disruptions.

Opposition support and continued disruptions

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav backed Rahul Gandhi, stating that issues concerning China were sensitive and that the Leader of Opposition should be allowed to present his views in the House.

Responding to the objections, Rahul Gandhi questioned the resistance to his remarks, asking what in the book was causing such concern. He maintained that both the article and the contents he was quoting were “100 per cent authentic.”

The Congress leader also said he had not intended to raise the issue but felt compelled to do so after BJP MP Tejasvi Surya questioned the patriotism of the Congress and its leadership.

Government, Congress trade charges

Government sources accused Rahul Gandhi of setting a dangerous precedent by citing material from an unpublished book, alleging that such references could be misused to make unverified claims on the floor of Parliament.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi defended her brother, saying he was not attempting to defame the Army and was merely reading an excerpt attributed to the former Army chief. She accused the ruling party of resisting discussion whenever uncomfortable issues surfaced.

House adjourned amid chaos

The repeated interruptions forced Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to adjourn the House till 3 pm. When proceedings resumed, similar scenes played out as Rahul Gandhi again attempted to speak on the subject, leading to further disruptions and another adjournment.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday presented her ninth consecutive union budget, stopping just short of Morarji Desai’s record of ten.

Congress MP P Chidambaram, however, avoided commenting on the ‘India is a dead economy’ statement made by former US President Donald Trump last July, which was later echoed by Rahul Gandhi.

Speaking to reporters after reviewing the budget, Chidambaram said he could not respond as he lacked the full context of Trump’s original remarks.

The comment by Trump followed India’s continued purchase of Russian crude oil, which the US had criticized as indirectly funding military action in Ukraine. Trump imposed a 25 per cent penalty tariff on Indian imports and added: “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.”

Rahul Gandhi later supported the statement, saying, “He is right, everybody knows this except the Prime Minister and Finance Minister. I am glad President Trump stated a fact…”

The remark sparked a political debate, with BJP leaders criticizing Gandhi, while some Congress members, including Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Shukla, called the statement “completely wrong.”

Ahead of the budget, Gandhi had highlighted the impact of US tariffs on small textile businesses, noting on X: “50 per cent US tariffs are badly hurting textile exporters. Job losses, shutdowns… are reality of our ‘dead economy’.”

The debate gained traction following the budget announcement, which did not offer immediate relief to middle-class taxpayers and saw markets react sharply, with the Sensex closing 1,500 points lower on Sunday.

Chidambaram, as usual, led Congress’ critique of the budget, pointing to a decrease in capital expenditure as a percentage of GDP from 3.2 per cent in FY25 to 3.1 per cent, despite the proposal of Rs 12.2 lakh crore for capex. He added, “Revenue receipts short by Rs 78,086 crore… total expenditure short by Rs 1,00,503 crore… revenue expenditure short by Rs 75,168 crore… capex was cut by Rs 1,44,376 crore… not a word was said to explain this…”

Rahul Gandhi echoed the criticism, highlighting issues such as unemployment, farmers’ distress, declining household savings, and low investment. “A budget that refuses course correction and is blind to India’s real crises,” he said on X.

Responding to the criticism, Finance Minister Sitharaman said, “With due respects, I don’t know what course correction he is referring to. The economy and its fundamentals are strong.”

Sunetra Pawar, the wife of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, is set to take on a prominent role following her husband’s tragic death in a plane crash on Wednesday morning. The decision to appoint her as Deputy Chief Minister was made solely by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar’s uncle and NCP-SP chief, revealed that the family was not consulted.

Addressing the media in Baramati, Sharad Pawar stated, “I don’t know,” when asked about being involved in the decision-making process for Ajit Pawar’s successor. He further clarified that he learned about the planned oath ceremony on Saturday evening through news reports. “We don’t know about the swearing-in. We got to know about it through the news. I have no idea about the swearing-in,” he added.

Sharad Pawar’s remarks underscore a clear separation between family matters and political decisions. The development comes after the NCP experienced a split in 2023, when Ajit Pawar broke away from his uncle’s faction to establish his own political path within Maharashtra.

This appointment positions Sunetra Pawar to carry forward her late husband’s political legacy, even as senior party leaders maintain a cautious distance from the process.