Former Army chief General Manoj Naravane has released two books after his unpublished memoir, Four Stars of Destiny, sparked controversy earlier this year. Looking back, he said there was “no justification” for him to be quoted and brought to public attention because of the book.
Notably, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was prevented from referring to parts of the memoir in Lok Sabha, as the book had not yet been published at that time in February this year.
A dispute between the former army commander over his unpublished memoirs
The general, who recently published the book “The Curious and the Classified: Exposing Military Myths and Mysteries,” said he had moved on from the issue. He added that he has completed two books and will publish another book soon.
“The Ministry of Defense asked the publisher to postpone it until it is examined. For me, it stayed at that, and I moved forward… So this is a closed chapter. I think quoting me unnecessarily and dragging the unpublished book into the limelight and indirectly into the limelight is unwarranted,” Naravane told PTI Videos in an interview.
After the controversy over the book, the direction of Naravane’s writing journey changed. His latest book is “meant to be an entertaining read rather than a serious academic endeavor.”
‘The Curious and the Classified: Unraveling Military Myths and Mysteries’, released by Rupa Publications, deals with many interesting stories connected with the traditions and history of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.
In the book, Naravane explains how the military salute “Jai Hind” began during the freedom movement and later became part of the armed forces.
He said that the Jai Hind was first adopted by the Indian Air Force and later used by the Army and Navy. He also pointed out that earlier salutes were done in silence, while different regiments used their own salutes like “Sat Sri Akal” or “Ram Ram”.
What is the controversy in Lok Sabha?
In February, Naravane found himself in the middle of a controversy over his unpublished memoir after Rahul Gandhi referred to it while criticizing the Center over the 2020 standoff against China.
On February 2, during the thanksgiving speech of the President, the House of Representatives witnessed heated debates. Gandhi tried to quote from a magazine article bearing excerpts from General Naravane’s unpublished memoirs.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh interrupted his remarks, objecting to this reference. He said that an unpublished book cannot be cited, adding that it has not been verified. Members of the Treasury Benches also opposed Gandhi’s move to use those extracts.
The dispute escalated when opposition MPs moved a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. One of the reasons cited was that Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to speak in the House.
The proposal was later withdrawn after a voice vote during the second phase of the budget session of Parliament.
With input from agencies
