Hardcover Politics: BJP-Congress Clash Turns Parliament Into Literary Battlefield

Last Updated:February 05, 2026, 07:00 IST

The Lok Sabha witnessed repeated adjournments, culminating in the cancellation of the Prime Minister’s scheduled reply to the Motion of Thanks on February 4

Nishikant Dubey challenged Rahul Gandhi to a debate on 'printed books' rather than 'unprinted manuscripts'. FIle image/X

The 2026 Budget Session of the Indian Parliament has descended into an unprecedented “war of books“, a high-stakes narrative battle between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). What began as a dispute over national security has escalated into a fierce confrontation over historical legacies, personal conduct, and the very rules of parliamentary procedure.

The Opening Salvo: The Naravane Memoir

The flashpoint was ignited by Lok Sabha’s Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, who sought to quote from Four Stars of Destiny, the unreleased memoir of former Army Chief General MM Naravane. Gandhi used excerpts—originally published in The Caravan magazine—to allege that the government had “let down" the armed forces during the 2020 Ladakh standoff with China. He claimed that the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister failed to provide clear directions during the critical night when Indian and Chinese tanks were at a standoff.

The government’s response was immediate and procedural. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah objected to the citation of an “unpublished and unauthenticated" book. Speaker Om Birla upheld these objections, invoking Rule 349, which prohibits members from reading from books or newspapers that are not directly related to the business of the House.

Nishikant Dubey’s Counter-Strike

In a classic tit-for-tat escalation, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey turned the tables by bringing a physical “library" of literature into the House. Arguing that if an unreleased book could be discussed, then over 150 published works detailing the alleged “deceit and corruption" of the Nehru-Gandhi family must also be admissible.

Dubey took to X to amplify his attack, sharing a purported 1961 letter from Jawaharlal Nehru to Field Marshal KM Cariappa regarding the Edwina Mountbatten Memorial Fund. Dubey’s posts and parliamentary speeches referenced a litany of controversial titles to target the Congress legacy, including:

MO Mathai’s Memoirs: To allege personal misconduct and “debauchery" within the early Nehru administration.

The Red Sari (Javier Moro): To question the origins and motivations of the Gandhi family.

The Accidental Prime Minister (Sanjaya Baru): To portray the Manmohan Singh era as one of external control by the Gandhi family.

The Shadow of the Great Game: To suggest that national interests were compromised during Partition due to personal relationships.

Dubey’s rhetoric was scathing, stating on X, “If I say something, there will be an uproar—will it set the Congress’s Lanka ablaze?" He challenged Rahul Gandhi to a debate on “printed books" rather than “unprinted manuscripts".

The Backlash and Parliamentary Paralysis

The Congress, led by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, hit back by accusing the government of “double standards". She questioned why Dubey’s microphone remained on while he quoted from books, despite the Speaker’s earlier ruling against Rahul Gandhi. The Opposition argued that General Naravane’s book is a matter of public record, even if suppressed by the Ministry of Defence, whereas the BJP’s citations were aimed at personal character assassination.

The fallout has been severe. The Lok Sabha witnessed repeated adjournments, culminating in the cancellation of the Prime Minister’s scheduled reply to the Motion of Thanks on February 4. With the Treasury benches demanding an apology for “belittling the army" and the Opposition demanding the right to quote the former Army Chief, the “book war" has effectively institutionalised instability in the House, moving the debate from current policy to a permanent battle over history.

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