The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Monday following two earlier adjournments triggered by a heated uproar over Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi’s reference to excerpts from an unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General Manoj Naravane during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.
The first adjournment came soon after Gandhi cited the unpublished book, as reported by ‘Caravan’ Magazine, raising concerns about India’s defence preparedness and border security, including claims that Chinese forces had approached with tanks. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh immediately objected, stating, “Mr Gandhi should not speak about this matter as the book is not published.”
Speaker Om Birla upheld this objection, emphasising that citing unpublished books or magazines is against parliamentary rules. He ruled, “No book or news report shall be read unless it has a connection with the proceedings of this House,” and instructed Gandhi to confine his remarks to the President’s address.
Despite the Speaker’s ruling, Gandhi persisted in referring to the unpublished memoir after the House resumed, prompting renewed protests from the ruling benches. This led to a second adjournment within minutes of proceedings restarting.
The disruption escalated into a sharp exchange between members of the ruling party and the Opposition. Home Minister Amit Shah and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju backed the Defence Minister’s objections.
Shah stressed, “Once the Speaker has given a ruling, it must be respected. Members cannot quote writings of others in violation of House rules.” Rijiju added, “Parliament functions according to established rules, and persistent refusal to follow the Speaker’s rulings would make it difficult to enforce discipline, especially among new members.”
Speaker Birla warned Gandhi against disrespecting the Chair, stating, “No member has the right to disrespect the Chair. If the ruling is not followed, another member will be given the opportunity to speak.”
He subsequently called on Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav to address the House.
Gandhi later defended his decision to raise the issue, saying that he was compelled to respond after BJP leader Tejasvi Surya questioned the patriotism of his party during the debate. This further intensified protests by Congress and other Opposition members.
The turmoil unfolded amid the ongoing discussion on the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address. Gandhi, also criticized the union Budget 2026-27 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, as ignoring the country’s pressing challenges, describing it as “completely hollow.”
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju condemned Gandhi’s conduct in a press statement: “Right from the beginning, Rahul Gandhi flouted rules by quoting from a book whose publication and authenticity are not clearly established. The Defence Minister and all of us stated that the House must function as per rules. One cannot challenge the Chair.”
With a total of 18 hours allocated for the Motion of Thanks debate, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to respond on February 4.
Monday’s proceedings highlighted the deep political divides during the charged up debate ignoring Speaker’s firm rulings for adherence to parliamentary norms.
