Rahul Gandhi cites Naravane memoir to target PM Modi on Ladakh crisis: 'Didn’t fulfil his duties'

Gandhi said the central episode in the memoir relates to the movement of Chinese troops and tanks towards the Kailash Ridge.

• Rahul Gandhi claims PM Modi abandoned Army leaders in Ladakh standoff.
• Gandhi references ex-Army Chief Naravane's memoir on Ladakh crisis response.
• Gandhi and BJP's Ravneet Singh Bittu exchange verbal jabs outside Parliament

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Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday, launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the handling of the Ladakh standoff with China, alleging that the Prime Minister failed to take responsibility at a critical moment and left the Army leadership “abandoned.”

Speaking to reporters on the Parliament premises, Gandhi said he was carrying what he described as a copy of former Army Chief General MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir and claimed that the book reveals the “truth” about the government’s response during the Ladakh crisis.

“I don’t think the Prime Minister will have 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 go physically and hand him this book so he can read it and the country can get to know the truth,” Gandhi said.

Referring to the former Army Chief’s account, the Congress leader said the book provides a detailed narration of events during the Ladakh standoff and should be widely read, particularly by young people. “Every youngster in India should see that this book exists. This is Mr Naravane’s book. He has given an entire account of Ladakh in this book. I have been told that I cannot quote this book,” he added.

Gandhi said the central episode in the memoir relates to the movement of Chinese troops and tanks towards the Kailash Ridge. He claimed that when Chinese tanks reached the area, General Naravane contacted Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to seek directions.

“The main line is what the Prime Minister said, ‘jo uchit samjho wo karo’. When the former Chief of Army Staff General Naravane called up Rajnath Singh ji and said that Chinese tanks have reached the Kailash Ridge, so what should we do? First, Rajnath Singh did not respond to him,” Gandhi alleged.

He further claimed that the Army Chief also tried to reach External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, the National Security Advisor, and again the Defence Minister, but did not receive a clear response initially. “He asked Jaishankar ji, NSA, and Rajnath Singh but received no reply. He then called up Rajnath Singh once again. Rajnath Singh told him that he would ask the ‘top’,” Gandhi said.

According to Gandhi, the “standing order” from the top leadership at the time was that Indian forces should not fire without explicit permission, even if Chinese troops crossed into Indian territory. “The standing order of the ‘top’ was that if Chinese forces come in, we should not fire on them without permission. Naravane ji and our Army wanted to fire on those tanks because they had entered our territory,” he said.

Quoting what he described as the Prime Minister’s message conveyed to the Army Chief, Gandhi said, “Narendra Modi ji gave a message that ‘jo uchit samjho wo karo’. It means that Narendra Modi did not fulfil his duties; he told the Army chief to do whatever he wants, as ‘mere bas ki nahi hai’.”

Gandhi also cited what he said was General Naravane’s emotional response recorded in the memoir. “Naravane ji writes, ‘I felt really alone, I was abandoned by the entire establishment’,” he said.

The Congress leader asserted that the Prime Minister must address these issues in Parliament and explain his role during the Ladakh standoff. “The country deserves transparency and accountability on matters of national security,” he added.

Later in the day, Gandhi was also involved in a verbal exchange with Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu outside Parliament. As Bittu passed by protesting Congress MPs near Makar Dwar, Gandhi referred to him as a “traitor,” pointing to his switch from the Congress to the BJP in 2024.

“Here is a traitor walking right by. Look at the face,” Gandhi said, offering to shake hands and adding, “Hello, brother, my traitor friend. Don’t worry, you will come back (to Congress).”

Bittu declined to shake hands and responded by calling Gandhi a “desh ke dushman (enemy of the state).”

Meanwhile, responding to a query on General Naravane’s memoir, Gandhi said, “It’s available abroad, I think. It’s published abroad. Government is not allowing it to be published here. That’s what I believe. The book is available… You can imagine where the book (that he is carrying today) has come from.”