"Govt overreacted": Congress MP Manickam Tagore slams Centre over row on Naravane's book

New Delhi [India], February 11 (ANI): Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Wednesday questioned the central government's handling of Former Army Chief General MM Naravane's book, titled 'Four Stars of Destiny', saying it was already published and available for years.
He criticised the floor proceedings that prevented Lok Sabha (LoP) Rahul Gandhi from speaking, calling the government's response an overreaction and demanding justice from the Speaker.
Speaking to ANI, Manickam Tagore said, "On December 15, 2023, General Naravane posted on his Twitter account that the books are available for sale. This is three years ago. The leader of the opposition had the published book. And I know that a senior advocate, who is a senior Rajya Sabha member, also said to me that he has a book. The book was available. The book has been written by General Narvane. The book is published. The book is available. The caravan has carried a story. It's a settled issue, and we feel that the government has reacted, overreacted on that day on the floor. Therefore, the leader of the opposition was not allowed to speak. We felt very bad, and then we went to the speaker to ask for justice."
The political controversy erupted after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi quoted excerpts from the memoir in Parliament. He cited a 2023 social media post by General Naravane to support his claim that the book was available for purchase.
Earlier, speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Rahul Gandhi referred to General Naravane's 2023 post on X and said the memoir was available for sale online.
Meanwhile, former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane confirmed that his memoir in discussion, "Four Stars of Destiny", has not yet been published, backing Penguin Random House India's statement.
Sharing a post on X, Gen Naravane wrote, "This is the status of the book."
This comes after Penguin Random House India issued a fresh statement earlier in response to an allegation by Rahul Gandhi, clarifying that the book was announced and listed for pre-order but hasn't yet entered publication, distribution, or sale. Any circulating copies are unauthorised and constitute copyright infringement.
A political row has erupted after Rahul Gandhi sought to quote from the "pre-print book" of Naravane's memoir during his speech in Lok Sabha on the motion of Thanks to the President's Address last week, with the treasury benches strongly opposing his remarks. The Speaker passed a ruling, asking the LoP not to quote unpublished literature. (ANI)