New Delhi: The row over former Army Chief General M.M. Naravane’s unpublished memoir Four Stars of Destiny erupted in the ongoing Budget Session of Indian Parliament and quickly became one of the most heated issues. It began on Monday, February 2, 2026, during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, When Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to quote from Naravane’s unpublished autobiography that details Chinese incursions into Doklam and Rechin La.
Gandhi insisted on reading excerpts from the memoir which was published in The Caravan magazine,criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the government for alleged leadership failure during the 2020 India-China border crisis in eastern Ladakh.
Senior BJP leaders including, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju objected, arguing that quoting from an unpublished and unauthenticated document violated parliamentary rules, particularly Rule 349, which prohibits reading from books, newspapers, or letters unless they are directly relevant and properly verified. Speaker Om Birla intervened repeatedly, and adjourned the session amid protests and disruptions.
The row continued through Tuesday, February 3, with further adjournments and the suspension of eight Opposition MPs. On Wednesday, February 4, Gandhi raised the matter further by displaying a printed copy of the memoir outside Parliament. He said speaking to media “I don’t think that PM Modi will have the guts to come to the Lok Sabha today because he is scared and doesn’t want to face the truth.
2020 India-China LAC standoff Context
The controversy around Four Stars of Destiny is linked with tensions between India and China along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh began escalating in early May 2020, when Chinese troops carried out rapid mobilization and infrastructure development at multiple points.
In response, India deployed a strong contingent of troops along with equipment in the area. In early May, physical clashes took place near Pangong Tso lake in Ladakh and in the Naku La sector of Sikkim, leaving soldiers injured on both sides, over 70 Indian personnel hurt in the Ladakh incidents.
The face-offs were resolved following talks at the local level between the two sides, even as the situation remained tense.However, those hopes were shattered on the night of June 15 in Galwan Valley, where 20 Indian soldiers, including Commanding Officer Colonel B Santosh Babu, lost their lives in brutal hand-to-hand combat. The fighting involved crude weapons such as clubs wrapped in barbed wire, iron rods and stones, It took place after Indian troops attempted to enforce a buffer zone agreement by removing a persisting Chinese camp.
Official Chinese casualty figures were never released, but independent sources reported that more than 40 Chines lost their lives. In the following weeks, both armies reinforced their positions with thousands of additional troops and heavy equipment, keeping the frontier on high alert. Several rounds of military and diplomatic talks continued over the months, leading to partial disengagements and eventually both sides agreed in October 2024 to disengage from all remaining friction points, including the long-standing Depsang Plains and Demchok areas.
What The Caravan Published from Naravane’s Unreleased Memoir
An excerpt from former Army Chief General M.M. Naravane’s unpublished memoir, Four Stars of Destiny, was published by journalist Shushant Singh in The Caravan magazine, detailing a tense episode during the 2020 India-China military standoff in eastern Ladakh.
According to the excerpt, General Naravane first received an urgent phone call at around 8.15 pm on August 31, 2020 from Northern Command chief, Lieutenant General Yogesh Joshi, He informed him that four Chinese tanks backed by infantry were advancing towards Rechin La along a steep mountain track.
The tanks were reportedly just a few hundred metres from Indian positions on the Kailash Range, a strategically significant high ground that Indian troops had secured earlier the same day following a rapid deployment ahead of China’s People’s Liberation Army. The excerpt notes that in the rugged terrain along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), even small gains in elevation can translate into major strategic advantage.
Indian soldiers fired an illuminating round as a warning, but the Chinese forces continued their advance. As tensions escalated, Naravane began contacting senior political and military leaders, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, seeking operational instructions and orders. “To each and every one my question was, ‘What are my orders?‘ Naravane writes in the memoir, as quoted by The Caravan.
The excerpt states that Naravane was operating under standing instructions not to open fire without permission “from the very top leadership.” However, no clear directive was given despite the rapidly worsening situation. At 9.10 pm, Lt Gen Joshi reportedly called again to inform that the Chinese tanks had continued moving forward and were now less than a kilometre from Rechin La.
At around 9.25 pm, Naravane again contacted the Defence Minister seeking “clear directions,” but, according to the account, no explicit orders were conveyed as the confrontation continued to unfold. He was instructed that PM Modi said “Do whatever you deem appropriate” which left the decision entirely to him and made him feel abandoned.
Why has the book not been published yet?
Former Army Chief Manoj Mukund Naravane’s book Four Stars of Destiny has not been published yet because it is still waiting for clearance from the Ministry of Defence. The book was submitted in 2023 and was expected to be released in April 2024 by Penguin Random House India. However, all pre-order listings were later removed and no release date has been announced as of February 2026. There are no physical or digital copies officially available in India. Rahul Gandhi has claimed government is not allowing the book to be published in India while it is accessible in abroad, though there is no confirmed evidence of an international edition.
However, the book is still awaiting mandatory clearance from the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The Retired army officials must obtain prior MoD approval before publishing any content involving military service, operations, policies, or national security. This is governed by the Army Rules 1954, CCS Pension Rules amendments, and internal guidelines to prevent disclosure of classified or sensitive information.
Naravane has publicly described the delay as a standard but prolonged review. Speaking at the Khushwant Singh Literature Festival in October 2025, he said “My job was to write the book and give it to the publishers. It was the publishers who were to get permission from the Ministry of Defence. It is still under review for more than a year now.”
The memoir spans Naravane’s career, including early China encounters in Sikkim, LoC management with Pakistan, leadership during the 2020 Ladakh standoff (Galwan clash and Rechin La incident), and reflections on defence policies.
Excerpts published in The Caravan in February 2026 and earlier PTI published his criticism of the Agnipath Scheme in December 2023, The scheme was announced in June 2022 by the Modi government. Naravane raised qouestions on retention only 25% of recruits army personnel after four years which was contrary to the service’s original “Tour of Duty” proposal of 75% retention. He also described his last meeting “not so pleasant” with the Cabinet Committee on Security issues in March 2022, widely interpreted as relating to Agnipath discussions.
The MoD has issued no public explanation, and neither Naravane nor the publisher has received a final decision. The book is not banned, but clearance remains pending indefinitely.
Opposition Slams Govt for Delaying the Book’s Publication
The Opposition has strongly accused the government of deliberately suppressing General M.M. Naravane’s memoir Four Stars of Destiny to hide uncomfortable truths about its handling of the 2020 Ladakh crisis. Rahul Gandhi said in Parliament “What does it contain which is scaring them so much? If they are not scared, I should be allowed to read on.”
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Gandhi said “Naravane has given an entire account of Ladakh in this book. When the (former) Chief of Army Staff General Naravane called up Rajnath Singh, saying Chinese tanks have reached the Kailash Ridge, so what should we do? First, Rajnath Singh did not respond to him. He asked Jaishankar, 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’. The standing order of the ‘top’ was that if Chinese forces come in, we should not fire on them without permission. Naravane and our Army wanted to fire on those tanks because they had entered our territory. Narendra Modi 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.”(it is beyond me).I felt really alone, I was abandoned by the entire establishment”,Naravane wrote.
For the past 2 days, the government has been saying that you cannot read the book according to article 349. This is against the rule, and Rahul Gandhi is violating the rule. The speaker himself gave the ruling. Today, Rahul Gandhi said, ‘I am not quoting the book or magazine; I want to speak.’ Then also he was not allowed to speak; within a second the mic was switched off. Today, Nishikant Dubey quoted the book and magazines for 5 minutes,which is against the rule.This is a double standard of the government.This is the clear killing of democracy.”
Government’s Version
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju defended the stand against Rahul Gandhi quoting the unpublished memoir, saying: “We waited two days but others too should be allowed to speak. He can’t speak arbitrarily. This is the Parliament of India, you need to speak as per the rules.”
BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya posted on X: “Rahul Gandhi has once again chosen to misuse Parliamentary privilege to malign the Indian Armed Forces and place India’s national security narrative under a cloud of suspicion. This is not new.”
Malviya added: “Precious parliamentary time is wasted on manufactured controversies that undermine public confidence in our Armed Forces and national institutions.”
The government maintained the memoir is still under MoD clearance and not officially published or available in India. Ministers stressed full authority was given to the Army in 2020, leading to success without firing or territory loss, and described the Opposition’s selective quoting as misleading and harmful to military morale. They framed the issue as upholding parliamentary discipline and protecting sensitive matters from partisan misuse, not suppression.
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