New Delhi, Feb 2 (NationPress) The remarks made by the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, during a parliamentary session, where he referenced excerpts from what is purported to be an unpublished work of former Army Chief, General M.M. Naravane (retd), have ignited a fierce political dispute.

Gandhi's comments and persistent questioning have triggered a significant uproar in the House, which has spilled into a contentious exchange beyond the walls of Parliament.

The statement from the Congress leader was met with strong criticism from Amit Malviya, a member of the BJP National Executive and the party's National Information and Technology Department head.

“Rahul Gandhi has once again misused his Parliamentary privilege to undermine the Indian Armed Forces and cast doubt on India's national security,” Malviya asserted on X.

During the ongoing Budget Session, while discussing the President's address, Gandhi claimed the report highlighted details of the 2020 Ladakh standoff with China and urged the Union government to clarify its hesitance regarding such references.

“While Parliament should concentrate on legislation, economic growth, and citizen-centric policies, precious time is squandered on fabricated controversies that erode public trust in our Armed Forces and national institutions,” Malviya criticized.

Gandhi cited what he claimed was an excerpt from General Naravane’s work.

The Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, ruled against Gandhi reading from the magazine due to Parliamentary regulations.

This decision incited disruptions and protests from Congress MPs.

BJP members, including Nishikant Dubey, suggested that the Leader of Opposition should review established historical accounts, referencing former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's alleged concessions to China in the 1950s.

In his X post, Malviya accused Gandhi of presenting fabricated information about China and warned that such behavior sets a perilous precedent.

He emphasized that “not an inch of land has been lost” in the border conflict, citing General Naravane's own remarks.

Video recordings of the former Chief of the Army Staff have surfaced, wherein he asserts that “not an inch of land was lost” by India.

The BJP's account on X shared an audio clip of General Naravane affirming that “We have not lost any territory. We are where we were before this incident began.”

Malviya elaborated on the negotiation process, indicating that the situation was approached “step-by-step”, with the primary aim being to disengage from confrontation.

Negotiations will persist to “narrow down differences and reach an acceptable resolution,” he added.

He stated at another moment that India's response served as a message not only to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) but also diminished China's stature globally.

“The Indian Army, and India as a nation, demonstrated that it is possible to confront a regional bully... We proved it can be done.”

Furthermore, Malviya reminded that Lt General Y.K. Joshi (retd), who was then Chief of the Indian Army's Northern Command, was directly reporting tank movements from August 31, 2020, to General Naravane. In his published work, Lieutenant General Joshi has unequivocally validated the success of India's operations in Eastern Ladakh.

In his memoir, “Who Dares Wins: A Soldier's Memoirs,” General Joshi discussed the aggressive maneuvers of the Chinese military in Eastern Ladakh in 2020.

The PLA advanced significantly into Galwan Valley, followed by incursions near the northern bank of Pangong Tso and later in the Tsogtsalu and Hotsprings sectors, according to Malviya.

He wrote that these provocations were met with strong and calculated responses, asserting that the then Northern Command chief stated: “We completely took the PLA by surprise, brought them back to the negotiation table, and forced them to retreat.” This operation was termed “Operation Snow Leopard.”

On his X account, BJP leader Malviya questioned: “The question then is obvious: why does Rahul Gandhi selectively lift excerpts from a magazine article while ignoring a published, first-hand account by an Army Commander who was on the ground and has clearly confirmed India's success?”

“Selective quotation may align with a political narrative but does not serve the truth, the Armed Forces, or the nation,” he concluded.