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Rijiju’s comment came amid a standoff between the government and the LoP in the Lok Sabha earlier in the day over former Army chief General MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir
Union minister Kiren Rijiju said Rahul Gandhi must apologise to the nation for the historical blunders of his party. (PTI)
Union Parliamentary Affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday tore into Rahul Gandhi for referring to the clashes between India and China in 2020, quoting former Army chief General MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir, accusing the Leader of Opposition (LoP) of trying to “show a weak India”.
Rijiju’s comment came amid a standoff between the government and the LoP in the Lok Sabha earlier in the day. As Gandhi attempted to quote from the book, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh intervened, saying quoting an unpublished book was against the rules of the House.
Home Minister Amit Shah too waded into the controversy, asking: “When the book has not even been published, how can he quote from it?”
Speaking to CNN-News18, Rijiju said the Congress leader “wasted 30 minutes to break a rule”. “Gandhi did not authenticate the book he was quoting from. The Speaker gave a ruling under 349. Without authenticating, you can’t quote. Even then he repeated the mistake, wasting 30 minutes to break a rule.”
He added: “Aksai Chin, Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh…can the parts encroached under Congress rule be retrieved? Gandhi should first apologise for 1959 and 1962. He must apologise to the nation for the historical blunders of his party.”
Terming Gandhi “entitled”, Rijiju said he must follow rules and educate his MPs too. “The tank reference made by Gandhi was to show India in poor light. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, not an inch of land will be conceded.”
As the House resumed, Gandhi once again repeated his charge of Chinese tanks entering Indian territory, drawing the ire of the government.
Repeating his appeal, Rijiju said: “Rahul Gandhi must not speak on issues that he doesn’t know about. Why are you trying to disrespect the Army?”
As the issue led to uproar in the House, the Lok Sabha was adjourned till 4pm.
February 02, 2026, 15:06 IST
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