‘Rahul Gandhi’s Business Is Insulting Army’: BJP Tears Into LoP for ‘Spreading Lies’ After Gen Naravane’s ‘Fact-Check' Over China Row

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a scathing attack on Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Friday, accusing him of making a ‘busines’ out of insulting the Indian Armed Forces.

The outburst follows after former Army Chief Manoj Mukund Naravane broke his silence on the controversy regarding his unpublished memoir ‘Four Stars of Destiny’. 

Speaking exclusively to Republic TV’s anchor Alisha Nair, General Naravane firmly countered Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party’s theories on Galwan where Naravane responding to questions about his previous remarks that not an inch of Indian land had been captured by China, stood firm. When asked if he still holds that position, he said people should ask the reverse question to China.

He added, “I think you should ask a reverse question to the Chinese, that have they occupied any Indian land? And answer to that question, I think, will satisfy all those who have any doubts on this matter.”

Why the row erupted

The political row flared after a heated exchange in Parliament where Gandhi cited an unpublished memoir by former Army Chief General M.M. Naravane to claim India had lost territory to China.

Referring to the former Army Chief's account, the Congress leader stressed that the book provides a detailed narration of events in Ladakh and should be read widely, especially by India's youth. 

"Every youngster in India should see that this book exists. This is Mr Naravane's book. He has given an entire account of Ladakh in this book. I have been told that I cannot quote this book," he added.

"The main line is what the Prime Minister said - 'jo uchit samjho wo karo'. When the former Chief of Army Staff General Naravane called up Rajnath Singh ji and said that Chinese tanks have reached the Kailash Ridge, so what should we do? First, Rajnath Singh did not respond to him," Gandhi said.

Gandhi alleged that the "standing order" from the top leadership at the time was that Indian forces should not fire unless they had explicit permission, even if Chinese forces crossed into Indian territory. 

"The standing order of the 'top' was that if Chinese forces come in, we should not fire on them without permission. Naravane ji and our Army wanted to fire on those tanks because they had entered our territory," he said.

BJP cites Gen Naravane’s Clarification

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."

Poonawalla added, "Rahul Gandhi thinks LOP means Leader of Propaganda and Fakery, but his propaganda and fakery has been busted by General Naravane."

Also Read: BJP VS Cong Faceoff: Rahul Gandhi Claims Narvane's Memoir Was Not Allowed To Be Published

Further tearing into Gandhi, Poonawalla stated, "General Naravane 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 chin and those who have given off large parcels of land of this country to Pakistan, those who have given off KachchaTheevu, they should answer, why were they undermining our armed forces?"

Not the only lie

Further attacking Rahul, Poonawalla said, “This is not the only lie Rahul Gandhi was subscribing to. He said that Narwane ji's book has been published. He quoted from a caravan of lies, an article that peddled fakery and was published in a magazine that has no credibility and that too has been thrashed and dismissed by General Narwane. He himself has come out and said that his book has not been published yet….”

Rahul Gandhi on Rafales

Lamblasting Gandhi, Poonawala said, “This is not the first time Rahul Gandhi lied about Rafales. Rahul Gandhi also lied that Sena ki pitai hui hai in Arunachal Pradesh, for which the Supreme Court has come down on him and said that no Indian speaks like this. Rahul Gandhi is actually playing into the hands of India's enemies.”

Poonawala added, "General Naravane has now debunked his lies, leaving the Congress to answer why they have made insulting the Army their trademark move."

Furthermore, BJP's Nishikant Dubey asserted that General Naravane’s recent clarification has completely exposed Rahul Gandhi’s fabrications, with party leaders further demanding a high-level investigation into whether the LoP is working on a 'Soros-funded agenda.'

Calling for a total ban on Gandhi's political activities, Dubey urged, "The central government should issue a white paper on Rahul Gandhi's entire activities." 

Opposition reacts

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

Backing 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.

Controversy over ‘Four Stars of Destiny’

The row erupted after Gandhi attempted to read excerpts from Four Stars of Destiny, General Naravane’s yet-to-be-released memoir. The BJP argued that Gandhi was quoting from "unverified and unauthorized" leaks to create a "fake news factory" inside the Lok Sabha.

The BJP intensified its attack on Rahul Gandhi, alleging that his 'only identity' has become a persistent habit of undermining the military, citing his past skepticism of the surgical strikes and the Galwan standoff as evidence. 

Within the House, the treasury benches argued that Gandhi’s use of an unpublished and unauthenticated manuscript was a blatant violation of parliamentary procedure. 

The ruling party further noted that both General Naravane and his publisher, Penguin Random House, have officially distanced themselves from the 'distorted' excerpts, dealing a significant blow to the credibility of the opposition’s claims."

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