PM Modi abdicated responsibility during India-China standoff in 2020: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday made a serious allegation against Prime Minister Narendra Modi (PM Modi), claiming that during the 2020 India-China border conflict, the Prime Minister “abdicated responsibility” and left crucial decisions to the then Army Chief General M.M. Naravane.
Addressing reporters in Parliament premises, Rahul Gandhi referred to the “unreleased autobiography” of former Army Chief Naravane and said that despite government claims to the contrary, the book very much exists and contains important revelations about the Galwan crisis.
“The Speaker has said that this book does not exist. The government has said it does not exist. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has also said there is no such book. But every young Indian should know that this book exists,” Rahul Gandhi asserted.
He claimed that the memoir gives a detailed account of what happened in Ladakh during the 2020 standoff. “General Naravane has written everything about the situation in Ladakh and how decisions were handled at the highest level,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi alleged that he was not allowed to quote from the book inside the Lok Sabha. “I was told that I cannot cite this memoir in Parliament. But the main issue is what the book reveals,” he said.
Quoting from what he described as Naravane’s account, Rahul Gandhi said, “The Army Chief called Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and informed him that Chinese tanks had reached Kailash Range and asked what should be done. Initially, there was no response.
He then tried to contact External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, NSA Ajit Doval and Rajnath Singh again, but no clear instructions were given.” According to Rahul Gandhi, the memoir indicates that at the crucial moment, PM Modi told the Army Chief to “do whatever you feel is right,” instead of taking political responsibility for national security decisions.
The Congress leader further challenged the PM Modi to face Parliament. “I don’t think the Prime Minister has the courage to come to the Lok Sabha today. If he comes, I will personally hand over this book to him so that he can read it and the country can know the truth,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi reiterated that the book is not written by any Opposition leader or foreign author but by India’s former Army Chief. “This is Naravane’s own book. He has clearly written that he felt abandoned and left alone by the entire establishment at a critical time,” Gandhi claimed.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Rahul Gandhi posted, “If Prime Minister Modi comes to Parliament today, I will gift him this book. This is not an Opposition book. It is written by our former Army Chief. Yet the government says it does not exist.”
He further alleged, “The book clearly states that when the Chinese Army entered our borders at a crucial moment, the Army Chief was left waiting. When it was time to take decisions, the Prime Minister told him to do as he deemed fit. In other words, at the gravest national security crisis, Modi escaped political responsibility.”
“The country is asking questions, but the government is running away from answering them,” Rahul Gandhi said, demanding a clear explanation from the Centre on the handling of the 2020 border conflict.
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