The Leak of Officer Memoirs Sparks Controversy in Indian Politics

[Global Times Comprehensive Report] Earlier this month, Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi attempted to read aloud the unpublished memoir of former Chief of Army Staff General Naravane—"Four Stars of Destiny"—in Parliament, which sparked outrage from the ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On the 10th, Indian police stated that they have launched an investigation into the leak of the memoir's content. The Indian Ministry of Defense is planning to introduce new regulations to restrict the publication of books by active and retired military personnel.

According to reports from the BBC and The Hindu, the memoir that Rahul Gandhi attempted to read may contain sensitive content. Video footage from the Indian Parliament shows that after reading just one sentence, several BJP members, including Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, immediately stopped him from continuing, leading to a heated argument between the two sides. BJP member and Speaker of the Lok Sabha Om Birla ultimately invoked parliamentary rules to prevent Rahul Gandhi from reading the memoir on the grounds that "unpublished content cannot be recorded in parliamentary records."

Although he was unable to read the content of the memoir in Parliament, Rahul Gandhi later stated in an interview that Naravane served as the Chief of Army Staff from 2019 to 2022, and in the memoir, he not only exposed how the BJP leadership "betrayed the Indian Army" during the India-China Galwan Valley conflict but also wrote a lot of content unfavorable to the BJP government. Rahul Gandhi emphasized, "If they are not afraid, they should let me continue reading." Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, however, stated that the memoir has not been authorized for publication and that Rahul Gandhi is "misleading Parliament and the people of the country."

Rahul Gandhi's remarks in Parliament have caused a stir within India, but the media currently has conflicting reports regarding the publication status of the book. The Hindu reported on the 10th that the book has been under review by relevant authorities since its completion in 2023. Penguin Random House India confirmed that it holds exclusive publishing rights but stated that the book has not been published. Indian police have also indicated that they have launched an investigation into the "leak of unpublished book content," stating that "after verification, it was found that the electronic version of the book is available for purchase on certain websites."     

Reports indicate that there are currently no clear legal provisions in India prohibiting veterans or retired officers from writing and publishing books. However, as the controversy surrounding the memoir written by former Chief of Army Staff Naravane continues to escalate, on the 11th, a senior defense official in India confirmed that the Ministry of Defense recently held a meeting to plan new regulations to restrict the publication of books by active and retired military personnel, which will be incorporated into the Official Secrets Act. (Li Guozheng)