New Delhi, February 4: In a recent statement in the Lok Sabha, Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi presented a book by former Army Chief Manoj Mukund Naravane, claiming that the Indian Army wished to attack Chinese tanks that had intruded into Indian territory.
During a media interaction on Wednesday, Gandhi stated, “Some say this book does not exist, but here it is. Every young person in India should see that this book is real. It belongs to General Manoj Mukund Naravane, but I have been told I cannot quote it.”
Citing the book, the Congress MP noted, “There is a significant line where the Army Chief was told to act as he deemed appropriate.”
Gandhi elaborated, “When former Army Chief Naravane informed Defense Minister Rajnath Singh that Chinese tanks had reached the Kailash Range (border area), we were left wondering what to do. However, there was no response from Singh. Naravane reached out to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and then again to Singh. No one replied. When Naravane called Singh again, the Defense Minister said he would consult ‘the top.’ The order from ‘the top’ was that if the Chinese army entered our border, we should not fire without prior approval.”
The Congress MP asserted, “Our army wanted to attack the Chinese tanks because they had crossed into Indian territory. But during this critical time, ‘the top’ sent the message to ‘do what you think is right.’ This implies that ‘the top’ did not fulfill its responsibility and left the army to decide on its own.”
Gandhi further stated, “Former Army Chief Naravane clearly wrote in his book, ‘I truly felt very alone. The entire system had abandoned me.’”
He also mentioned that if the Prime Minister attends the Lok Sabha, he will personally hand over this book to him.