"They are distorting parliamentary rules": KC Venugopal on Naravane memoir row

New Delhi [India], February 2 (ANI): Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal on Monday slammed the government of 'distorting parliamentary rules' in Lok Sabha after objections were raised to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi quoting from an article that cited excerpts of the unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General MM Naravane.
Speaking to reporters, Venugopal said the government was misusing parliamentary provisions to suppress debate on India's security.
"Whenever a question against the government is raised, the same slogan is repeated by the Parliamentary Affairs Minister and the government. Today, the mover and the seconder tarnished the Congress and said that it is an anti-national party. The Leader of the Opposition just stated his speech as a reply to a ruling member. He quoted an article in a magazine that narrates the government's inefficiency clearly in dealing with the border issues," he said.
"Then they said that, as per Article 349, you cannot speak about all these things. You cannot quote anything. The President, in his speech, spoke categorically about the national security achievements of this government. When Rahul Gandhi says all these things, he becomes anti-national. Actually, they are distorting the parliamentary rules," added.
In a post on X, KC Venugopal said that the treasury benches were quick to quote Rule 349.
"The treasury benches were quick to quote Rule 349 - which says "Whilst the House is sitting, a member-- (I) shall not read any book, newspaper or letter except in connection with the business of the House." Hon'ble President of India clearly spoke of India's security in her address. How, then, is someone prohibited from quoting a published magazine that speaks of India's security situation vis-a-vis China in the House?!" Venugopal shared.
Meanwhile, the remarks came amid sharp exchanges in the Lok Sabha earlier in the day during the motion of thanks on the President's Address in the Budget session after Gandhi attempted to quote from a magazine article that cited excerpts from the unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General MM Naravane, referring to the Doklam standoff with China.
The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) objected to the Leader of Opposition's attempt to read from the unpublished memoir, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stating that material from an unpublished book could not be quoted in the House. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla upheld the objection, ruling that unpublished material could not be read out.
The standoff led to repeated disruptions in the House, with opposition members demanding that Gandhi be allowed to speak, while treasury bench members insisted that parliamentary rules be followed. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav later supported Gandhi, saying the issue relating to China was sensitive and warranted discussion.
The standoff continued for nearly 30 minutes, with disruptions from both sides, as the ruling party maintained that the opposition could not read from an unpublished article or book.
Further, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also intervened during the exchange as the House remained divided over the issue, before the proceedings moved ahead amid continued interruption. (ANI)