Haven’t seen myself, can’t say where it came from: Ex-Army chief on Rahul’s claims about unpublished book

Former Army Chief Manoj Mukund Naravane said he has not seen a published copy of his memoir and questioned how Rahul Gandhi accessed it. He also defended the government, saying the armed forces were given full freedom during the China standoff

New Delhi: Former Indian Army Chief, General (retired) Manoj Mukund Naravane said that he has not seen his memoir ‘Four Stars of Destiny’ in a published form and has no answers to how the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi got access to it.

General Naravane, speaking to IANS in an interview, said that the Union government has given “full freedom” to the armed forces to take actions in situations like the 2020 India-China standoff, which shows that it has “full trust” in its military.

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He said that if people “aren’t ready” to accept that the Chinese were forced to retreat during the standoff, then he cannot say much.

This reaction came after the former Army Chief was asked about the controversy surrounding his unpublished book, ‘Four Stars of Destiny’.

When asked about the authenticity of the alleged copy of the unpublished book brought outside the Parliament by LoP Rahul Gandhi to corner the Union government over it, General Naravane reiterated that no copy of the book is in circulation.

“I would just say that I myself haven’t seen a final copy of that book as an author. So, I can’t say which book it was or where it came from. As Penguin has also very clearly stated, ‘no copy of that book is in circulation, either in print, hard copy, or soft copy’. So, as for where it came from, what can I say about that?” the former Army Chief told IANS.

About the emphasis on an alleged line in a chapter of the book accessed where it was mentioned that the Army was told to “do whatever you deem appropriate (Jo uchit lage, vo karo)”, General Naravane said that “wrong perspective” was derived from that.

“The Army is always given full freedom when it comes to taking action. And the freedom given implies that the government has full trust in its Army. So this should be viewed from that perspective. If you always want to see the glass half empty, then there is no solution for that,” he added.

The former Army Chief said that when the armed forces take any action along the borders, it is a “whole-of-nation effort”.

“It’s never just one branch or organisation. In this, the political dispensation has a contribution, the diplomatic side has a contribution, and the military has a contribution. So, everyone moving forward together is a whole-of-nation effort. And because we took this action unitedly, we were able to be successful,” he said, referring to the 2020 Galwan standoff.

He also mentioned that due to these very efforts, the Chinese Army was forced back, while also commenting on the doubts raised regarding the stepping back of China from along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

“Even now, we believe that the actions we took are the reason the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) had to go back. All the things coming on TV screens showing them dismantling their bunkers — such things had never happened before, that China stepped back. We forced them to step back. So if this isn’t a victory, then what is? And if people aren’t ready to accept this either, which they are seeing with their own eyes on TV, then what else can I say?” the former Army Chief added.