What was supposed to be a big moment in Parliament for Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned out to be the center of a political controversy on Wednesday as his absence from the Lok Sabha amid the bitter controversy over former Army chief General MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir on the 2020 China standoff gave rise to sharp allegations and counter-allegations and a heated exchange between the BJP and the opposition inside and outside the House.
Prime Minister Modi was expected to reply to the motion of thanks on the President’s address at 5 pm. But after repeated disruptions and sloganeering by opposition members, the Speaker adjourned the Lok Sabha.
The standoff centered on Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to cite Naravane’s unpublished memoir on the 2020 China standoff in eastern Ladakh, which BJP leaders said violated House rules and risked demoralizing the armed forces. The BJP accused the opposition of deliberately creating a ruckus in Parliament to prevent Prime Minister Modi from speaking.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh said that the opposition is behaving irresponsibly. He said, “It is unfortunate. This is the first time that such an uproar has taken place during the President’s address. They are behaving like children. Do they think this is the secret of the Nehru family or the office of the Congress party?”
Union Minister Chirag Paswan alleged that Congress is also suppressing other opposition voices. He said, “Because of Congress, no opposition party is able to express its views. Insulting and humiliating the Speaker is unacceptable. This is the beginning of a wrong tradition.”
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale accused the opposition of insulting democracy and MPs from the Dalit community. “When the Dalit MP (TDP MP Krishna Prasad Teneti) was in the Speaker’s chair, the papers were thrown. This is an attempt to insult him,” he said.
BJP MP Anurag Thakur alleged that the only aim of Rahul Gandhi and the opposition is to create disruption. “They don’t want to talk about India’s progress. Their only agenda is to create ruckus, tear papers, throw at the speaker and disrupt Parliament,” he said. He further said that the decisions of the Speaker are being deliberately ignored.
Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal also alleged misconduct, saying that opposition MPs were standing with banners near the Prime Minister’s seat. He said, “There is a limit to protest. Why do you go where the Prime Minister and the Home Minister sit? This arrogance of the Congress is dangerous for the parliamentary traditions.” BJP leaders say that PM Modi wanted to address the House, but due to disruptions by Congress leaders, he could not get this opportunity. Congress alleged that Prime Minister Modi was infringing on national security. But he did not want any investigation, so he stayed away from this conference.
Leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, accused the Prime Minister of being “cowardly”. “As I said, PM Modi will not come to Parliament because he is scared and does not want to face the truth,” he wrote on He said, “I don’t think the Prime Minister will dare to come to the Lok Sabha today, because if he comes, I will hand him this book. He will know his truth and the country will also know.”
Gandhi claimed that the memoir shows that the political leadership had abandoned the Army during the Ladakh crisis. He alleged, “When the Chinese army crossed our border, the Army Chief was made to wait and the Prime Minister said, ‘Do whatever you feel is appropriate.'” In the most serious crisis of the country’s security, Modi ji shirked political responsibility. He also claimed that the book has been published abroad but it is not allowed in India. Gandhi told reporters, “It is available abroad. The government is not allowing it to be published here.” Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made the attack more sharp, saying, “He was scared, that is why he did not come to the House.” He accused the government of silencing the opposition and insulting the Speaker.
Jairam Ramesh said that debate cannot take place by silencing the opposition leader. He said, “Prime Minister Modi responds to the debate, but it is the leader of the opposition who initiates the debate. If the leader of the opposition cannot speak, then the debate has no meaning.”
TMC MP Saini Ghosh said, “We were waiting for Prime Minister Modi. The opposition should get a chance to speak. Democracy should be respected.” Congress MP Pramod Tiwari accused the government of dragging Nehru and Indira Gandhi into debates to divert attention from the Naravane issue and described the incident as “a dark chapter for parliamentary culture”.
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri condemned Gandhi’s remarks. He said, “The word anti-national means treason. It should never be used lightly. Parliamentary discussion should be decent.” The BJP started protests in Delhi and Punjab, with workers demanding Gandhi to apologize and resign. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva raised slogans and called Rahul Gandhi a “traitor”. Later the police took him into custody.
Earlier in the day, the Lok Sabha was adjourned multiple times amid sloganeering over the suspension of eight opposition MPs for “throwing papers on chairs” during protests linked to the Naravane case. The suspended MPs continued to protest outside Parliament carrying posters accusing the Prime Minister of “treason”. By evening, the time for Prime Minister Modi’s speech had ended, the House came to a standstill and another heated debate broke out in the Budget session. The proceedings of both the houses will start at 11 am on Thursday.
