Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address

NEW DELHI, February 2: The Lok Sabha was adjourned four times on continuous two days amid repeated interruptions as Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi raised the issue of national security, referred to the Eastern Ladakh confrontation between Indian and Chinese troops on August 31, 2020, and cited revelations from a magazine, quoting excerpts from a book by former Army Chief Gen Manoj M. Naravane.

Shri Rahul Gandhi was repeatedly interrupted by the treasury benches and not allowed to speak. While the Leader of Opposition stood firm to speak out on the matter of national security, the treasury benches interrupted him again and again. Finally, the House was adjourned for the day.

Right from the moment Shri Rahul Gandhi rose to speak, the treasury benches got unnerved, with the Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju leading the treasury benches and repeatedly trying to interrupt Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi’s speech.

As he refused to get cowed down by the bullying by the treasury benches, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House. Amid repeated bullying and disruptions, Shri Rahul Gandhi told the treasury benches that they were trying to hide something which every soldier across the country already knew. “What happened is known to every soldier. You are trying to hide it from the people,” he told the treasury benches.

Responding to the Speaker’s repeated assertions that he should speak on the President’s Address, Shri Rahul Gandhi told him that he was very much speaking about the President’s Address, as he was talking about national security, which was the theme of the President’s Address.

Stating that he was raising the matter of national security, which is the most important issue, he said that he understood the Defence Minister and the Prime Minister were not comfortable with his raising such an important matter.

He wondered as to what was in his words that both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister abstained from the House when the proceedings resumed after adjournment. “This is a memoir. The government is not allowing it to be published,” he said, adding, “they claim to fight terrorism, but they are afraid of one quote.”

“Which rule says I cannot speak about India-China relations during the discussion on President’s Address?” he asked, and disclosed that Rajnath Singh was aware of the matter as he had spoken to General Naravane.

Later, he told reporters in Parliament that the ruling party was scared of just one line he was to quote and asserted that he would say it in Parliament and nobody could stop him. “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 can stop me,” he said. “The leader of the country is supposed to give direction. The leader of the country is not supposed to run away from decisions and leave decisions to other people’s shoulders. That is what the Prime Minister has done,” he further added while referring to General Naravane’s autobiography.

First time, Leader of Opposition not being allowed to speak on President’s address Modi frightened and compromised: Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi

NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Shri Rahul Gandhi, who was again not allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha on the President’s Address, said that the House had been adjourned for the fourth time since yesterday to stop him from speaking. He said that the Prime Minister was scared of him speaking certain things, adding, “which he knows and I know”. Shri Rahul Gandhi said that the Naravane issue was only a side story and the main issue was something else which the Prime Minister was afraid of. On the trade deal with the United States, Shri Rahul Gandhi alleged that by signing it, the Prime Minister had sold out the interests of farmers and betrayed their blood and sweat, besides selling out the interests of the entire country. He said that the trade deal negotiations had been going on for many months but it had been stalled and the Prime Minister signed it only last evening for reasons known to him and Modi. The Leader of the Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi hinted at possible further revelations from the Epstein files, and said that this and the case against Adani in the US are PM Modi’s two pressure points. He alleged that the Prime Minister signed the trade deal under pressure and that it was not in the interest of the country. Also referring to the case against Adani in the US, Shri Gandhi said that the target was actually Modi and the BJP, as Adani was directly linked to the BJP’s financial structure. He alleged that the Prime Minister was under tremendous pressure and that his ‘image balloon’, created after spending thousands of crores of rupees, could burst anytime. “Issue is not the Naravane statement. It is only a sideshow. He knows and I know. The main thing is that our Prime Minister is compromised. The people of India have to think who compromised our Prime Minister and how,” Leader of Opposition (LS) Shri Rahul Gandhi said. He added that for the first time in the country’s history, the Leader of Opposition was not being allowed to speak in the House during discussion on the President’s address. “Country should understand that the Prime Minister is compromised,” he said. Earlier, Shri Rahul Gandhi tabled an article related to the memoirs of former Army Chief M.M. Naravane about 2020 Ladakh face-off with China in the House. Despite this, he was interrupted and not allowed to speak, with the presiding officer adjourning the House for the fourth time since yesterday. Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi also objected to the word “permission” used by the presiding officer in reference to him speaking, saying that the Leader of Opposition is entitled to speak in the House.

‘Book Exists, Truth Exists’: Shri Rahul Gandhi shows General Naravane’s Book

New Delhi: Addressing the media at the Parliament House precinct, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Shri Rahul Gandhi, accompanied by other Party MPs, on February 4, 2026, displayed copies of former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane’s autobiography ‘Four Stars of Destiny’ outside Parliament House to counter the government’s claim that the book had not been published and did not exist.

Quoting the book, Shri Rahul Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had abdicated responsibility during the Ladakh crisis, and said that the government was now trying to deny the very existence of the book despite it being in the public domain.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said that the government, the Speaker and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were claiming that the book “does not exist”. He said that every young Indian should see that the book exists and that it contains a detailed first-hand account of events in Ladakh.

Quoting from the book, Shri Rahul Gandhi said that when Chinese tanks entered Indian territory at the Kailash Ridge, the Army sought political clearance to respond as it had been barred from taking action without approval. He claimed that the defence minister initially did not respond and later conveyed that he would consult the top leadership.

The Leader of the Opposition said that the standing instruction was that Chinese forces should not be fired upon without permission, despite their incursion into Indian territory.

He quoted General Manoj Mukund Naravane as having written that he “felt really alone” and was “abandoned by the entire establishment”. Referring to the book, he said that the Prime Minister’s message to the Army Chief, “Do whatever you deem appropriate”, showed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had evaded responsibility and left the Army Chief to take the decision alone during a critical moment.

He added that if the PM did appear, he would personally hand over the book to him. He said that the Prime Minister should read the book, adding that the country could know “the truth” about what transpired during the Ladakh standoff.