Rahul authenticates article on ex-army chief's 'memoir' on India-China conflict; LS impasse remains

New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday authenticated a copy of an article in the Lok Sabha which cited former army chief M M Naravane's unpublished 'memoir' but it failed to end the impasse over the matter, leading to a brief adjournment. With Gandhi insisting on raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, Chair Krishna Prasad Tenneti moved on to other Speakers and asked Harish Balayogi of the TDP, an NDA constituent, to speak on the President's address after three opposition MPs refused to speak, showing solidarity with Gandhi. As Balayogi spoke, opposition MPs raised slogans and the ruckus continued in the House, prompting the chair to adjourn it till 3 PM. Tenneti asked Congress MP KC Venugopal to address the chair properly and not make any casual references to the chair.

As soon as Gandhi was asked to speak on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address, he cited the Speaker's ruling of Monday and authenticated the copy of the article. "I have authenticated it," he said. To authenticate a document, a member has to submit a signed copy of it affirming that it is correct to the best of his knowledge. Tenneti, who was chairing the House, asked him to table it and said "we will examine it and get back". Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Speaker passed a ruling on the matter and after that Gandhi should not raise the issue repeatedly. Gandhi insisted that he is the Leader of Opposition and takes objection to the term 'permission' when he has to speak. As the impasse continued over Gandhi seeking to quote the article, Tenneti adjourned the proceedings till 3 pm. A row had erupted in the Lok Sabha on Monday when Gandhi sought to quote from an unpublished 'memoir' of the former army chief on the 2020 India-China conflict, but faced strong opposition from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other BJP members who accused the Congress leader of misleading the House. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla disallowed Gandhi from raising the issue, but he did not relent and several opposition leaders also rallied behind him. The House was adjourned twice and later for the day amid uproar as heated exchanges took place between the treasury and opposition benches.