New Delhi – The Lok Sabha was adjourned on Monday amidst a heated standoff between the Opposition and the ruling party after Rahul Gandhi cited excerpts from former Army Chief General MM Naravane's unpublished memoir during a discussion on the President's Address. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members strongly objected to Rahul Gandhi's remarks, leading to repeated disruptions and accusations that he was speaking outside the established rules of the House.

Rahul Gandhi sought to reference a report, quoting from General Naravane's unpublished memoir, regarding the border tensions with China in 2020. Speaker Om Birla ruled against making references to the unpublished book or article, emphasizing that parliamentary proceedings must adhere to established rules. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused Rahul Gandhi of attempting to demoralize the armed forces by quoting from a book whose publication and authenticity were not clearly established.

In response to the uproar, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra defended her brother, asserting that Rahul Gandhi was not trying to defame the Army. Speaking to ANI, she stated that he was merely quoting from a magazine article that referenced excerpts from the memoir. "He was not trying to defame the Army," Priyanka Gandhi said. "He was reading an excerpt from the book of the Army Chief. They [BJP] always say this whenever something comes out that they want to hide". She further argued that the excerpt Rahul Gandhi cited was not from an unauthenticated source, as it had already been published in a magazine. "It should be from a published source, either from a book or a magazine," she said. "This is an excerpt from the book, and it has been published. There is no unauthenticated source in this…What is the problem then? Why are they scared?".

Government sources have accused Rahul Gandhi of setting a dangerous precedent by citing material from an unpublished book, suggesting that such references could be misused to make unverified claims in Parliament. BJP leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Kiren Rijiju, questioned the authenticity of the book Rahul Gandhi was referencing.

Rahul Gandhi also commented on the situation outside of Parliament, stating, "They are scared of a line. There is one line in it that PM Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh are scared of. I will say that line inside Parliament, and no one will stop me…".

The repeated disruptions led to the Lok Sabha being adjourned for the day. The House was initially adjourned until 3 pm, then again until 4 pm, and finally for the day, highlighting the severity of the disagreement and the challenges in maintaining order during the debate. The Speaker urged the Leader of the Opposition to proceed without mentioning the contested material, but the stalemate persisted.