Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a sharp political offensive against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, centring his attack on revelations made in the memoir of former Army Chief General M M Naravane and openly challenging the Prime Minister to face Parliament.
Escalating the confrontation, Gandhi said the Prime Minister would likely avoid the Lok Sabha because he plans to personally hand over a copy of the former Army Chief’s book if Modi appears in the House.
“I don’t think the Prime Minister has the guts to come to the Lok Sabha today, because if he comes, I am going to give him this book. If the PM comes, I will physically walk up to him and hand him this book so that he reads it and the country knows the truth,” Gandhi said.
Holding up the memoir, Gandhi underlined that the book contains a detailed account of the Ladakh standoff with China. He alleged that despite the gravity of the situation, he was being prevented from quoting it directly in Parliament.
“This is General Naravane’s book. He has given a full account of what happened in Ladakh. I have been told I cannot quote it. But the most important line in the book is what the Prime Minister said — ‘Jo uchit samjho wo karo (Do what you think is right)’,” Gandhi stated.
Referring to the former Army Chief’s account, Gandhi narrated how senior political leadership allegedly failed to respond during a critical military moment.
“According to the book, when former Chief of Army Staff General Naravane called Rajnath Singh-ji and informed him that Chinese tanks had reached the Kailash Ridge and asked what action should be taken, there was no response initially. He contacted the External Affairs Minister, the NSA and Rajnath Singh, but received no reply. When he called again, Rajnath Singh told him that he would ask the ‘top’,” Gandhi said, citing the memoir.
Gandhi further alleged that restrictive instructions from the top leadership tied the Army’s hands at a decisive moment.
“The standing order from the ‘top’ was that if Chinese forces entered, our Army should not fire without permission. Naravane-ji and the Army wanted to open fire because Chinese tanks had entered our territory. But Narendra Modi sent the message — ‘jo uchit samjho wo karo’,” he said.
Interpreting the message as abdication of responsibility, Gandhi accused the Prime Minister of leaving the Army leadership isolated.
“This means the Prime Minister did not take responsibility. He effectively told the Army Chief to do whatever he wanted. General Naravane writes in his book, ‘I felt really alone. I was abandoned by the entire establishment’,” Gandhi added.
