India’s parliament rocked by former General Naravane’s book on 2020 India-China standoff

A political storm has erupted in India after explosive claims from an unpublished memoir by a former army chief triggered chaos in parliament and renewed questions about New Delhi’s handling of the 2020 military crisis with China.

The controversy centres on Four Stars of Destiny, a yet-to-be-cleared book by former Indian Army chief General MM Naravane. According to opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, the manuscript suggests that India’s top political leadership failed to give clear instructions as Chinese forces advanced during the deadly Ladakh confrontation.

The claims came to light after Gandhi attempted to quote from the memoir during a heated parliamentary debate, prompting repeated interruptions from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and eventually bringing proceedings to a halt. At least 20 Indian soldiers and several Chinese troops were killed in the Galwan Valley clashes, the first fatal encounter between the two sides in decades, a news report by BBC said.

Gandhi told lawmakers that as Chinese tanks moved forward, Naravane was effectively left to make decisions on his own, allegedly being told by the political leadership to “do what he felt was right.” Opposition figures argue this points to confusion and a lack of accountability at the highest levels of the Indian government during a major national security crisis.

The Modi government hit back strongly, accusing Gandhi of misleading parliament and insulting the armed forces by citing an unpublished book. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh challenged Gandhi to produce the memoir, while senior BJP leaders accused him of violating parliamentary rules. The uproar led to the suspension of eight Congress party lawmakers and repeated adjournments of parliament.

Despite the backlash, Gandhi doubled down outside parliament, publicly displaying a copy of the book and insisting its contents were genuine. He claimed the memoir reveals standing orders that prohibited Indian troops from firing even if Chinese soldiers crossed into Indian territory without permission from political leaders.

Quoting what he said were Naravane’s words, Gandhi alleged the former army chief felt “abandoned by the establishment” during the crisis – a charge the opposition says reflects poorly on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership at a critical moment.

Naravane, who served as army chief from 2019 to 2022, has so far remained silent on the controversy. His memoir has reportedly been stuck in clearance since 2024 due to concerns that it contains sensitive operational details. Indian rules require retired military officers to obtain official approval before publishing material related to national security.

The row has once again revived opposition accusations that the Modi government mishandled the China standoff and concealed uncomfortable truths from the public. While New Delhi continues to insist that no territory was lost, critics argue that the government’s aggressive response inside parliament suggests deep unease over what the memoir might eventually reveal.

As India struggles to project strength on its borders, the unfolding saga has exposed visible cracks between its political leadership and military narrative – a development closely watched across the region, including in Pakistan.