Exposed And Snubbed By General MM Naravane, LoP Rahul Gandhi Walks Away From Tough Questions On Galwan Book Controversy

New Delhi: After former Army Chief General MM Naravane’s massive expose on Congress’ Galwan narrative. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was confronted by a reporter from Republic Bharat at Lucknow’s airport on Friday morning and was questioned about remarks made by former Army Chief Manoj Mukund Naravane in a recent interview.

The reporter repeatedly questioned Rahul Gandhi on Naravane’s remarks made in an exclusive interview to the channel, where the former Army chief rejected claims associated with the controversy and dismissed allegations that Indian land had been ceded to China. But LoP Rahul Gandhi dodged every single question, he provided no answer or explanation and proceeded to walk away from the questions.

What Naravane Said in Exclusive Interview

Speaking exclusively to Republic’s anchor Alisha Nair, General Naravane firmly countered Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party’s theories on Galwan. He firmly rejected allegations that India ceded territory to China, stating such claims were inaccurate and not reflective of facts on the ground. He also dismissed political interpretations drawn from reported excerpts of his forthcoming book, indicating that conclusions circulating in public debate were misrepresented or speculative.

MM Naravane said that “anybody can say anything”, stressing that assertions about territorial concessions were incorrect and misrepresented. Finally, by speaking on record, Naravane sought to directly clarify his position and counter narratives attributed to him, stressing that assertions being made in his name did not match his actual views.

On the allegation that he was given vague instructions during the Galwan crisis and was “left alone,” General Naravane dismissed the charge. When asked whether the Prime Minister’s stated instruction - “jo uchit samjhe wo karo,” meant he was given a free hand or was left alone, Naravane cautioned against relying on anonymous sources.

Weeks-Long Parliament Face-Off 

His statement directly challenged narratives cited by opposition leaders in recent weeks, where passages attributed to the unpublished book were invoked to criticise the government’s handling of the border situation. The government have maintained that the excerpts were selectively interpreted and that national security matters were being politicised.

Naravane's comments came after weeks of heated exchanges in Parliament and outside, where opposition leaders, including LoP Rahul Gandhi, cited passages from the unreleased book to question the government’s handling of the India-China border situation after the Galwan clash. The government and ruling party have accused the opposition of misquoting and politicising unpublished material.

PM Modi Slams Rahul Gandhi’s Galwan Remarks

During the NDA Parliamentary meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly rebuked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his statements on the 2020 Galwan Valley clash. Modi called Gandhi’s comments “childish” and “reckless”, accusing him of disrespecting the Indian Army and harming national security. The Prime Minister added that such remarks only hurt Gandhi’s own political standing.

BJP Rejects Allegations as Misleading

Following the remark, BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla spearheaded the counter-offensive, pointing out that General Naravane himself has consistently maintained that “categorically not an inch of land has been given or lost to China". He added, "Rahul Gandhi thinks LOP means Leader of Propaganda and Fakery, but his propaganda and fakery has been busted by General Narwane."

Poonawalla further stated, "General Narwane has come out and has taken head-on every lie peddled  by serial liar Rahul Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi said that the area of the size of Delhi has been handed over to China."

He added, "Now those who have given off Aksai chain and those who have given off large parcels of land of this country to Pakistan, those who have given off KacchaThivu, they should answer, why were they undermining our armed forces?"

Opposition Responds to Naravane’s Remarks

Addressing the controversy, Congress MLA Nizamuddin Bhat told Republic: 'These are issues of national security and final affairs; we leave the matter to the High Command, who will speak on this in due course.'

Supporting General Naravane amidst the row, Deputy CM Surinder Choudhary said, 'I can speak on the book only after reading it, but what the General said will be the truth as he is the author', He further emphasized that he would not contradict the former chief’s version, adding that the opinions of 'WhatsApp University' are not for him to comment on.

Additionally, Naravane shared the official statement from Penguin India on social media site X, stating, “This is the status of the book.”

Earlier, Penguin Random House India posted a statement clarifying that the book has not gone into publication. It stated that no copies, print or digital, had been released, sold, disseminated, or made accessible to the general public.

The incident underscores how the Naravane-book controversy has evolved into a broader political messaging battle. With the former Army chief now directly contesting claims linked to his name, pressure is likely to mount on opposition leaders to clarify their position or respond to his remarks.

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