General Naravane’s memoirs must see the light of day

EDITORIAL: The army chief recalls in his memoirs that he was “handed a hot potato…With this carte blanche, the onus was totally on me.”

EDITORIAL

independentink.in

In a healthy democracy, issues that challenge those in power or are deemed unpalatable by the government, are typically raised for discussion, and vigorously debated in Parliament. Indeed, one of the unwritten canons of governance through elected representation is that the Opposition must be encouraged to ensure legislative oversight, holding the executive accountable through debates, questions, and parliamentary committee investigations.

Unfortunately, seemingly, we appear to be, of late, a functional democracy on paper but not in practice. This was clearly illustrated when the treasury benches, supported by an arguably biased Speaker, vigorously attempted to prevent Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Opposition (LoP), from quoting remarks made by former Army Chief, General MN Naravane, in his yet-to-be-published memoirs. These remarks touch on various topics, including the controversial skirmishes between India and China along their shared border in 2019-2020.

The controversial book Four Stars of Destiny was scheduled for release in April 2024, and Amazon had begun accepting preorders. However, the publication was suddenly halted when the defense ministry intervened, stating that the memoirs must first be approved by a committee.

Indeed, surprisingly, clearance has not yet been granted. 

However, Caravan magazine, in its February 1, 2026 issue, carried a cover story by journalist Sushant Singh that quoted extensively from the General’s memoirs. It was from this report that Rahul Gandhi was reading out in the Lok Sabha.

The government's discomfiture with the Four Stars of Destiny is understandable. General Naravane's candid account of the events along the Indo-China border sharply contrasted with the government's self-proclaimed and much-publicised muscular response to Chinese incursions, and the skirmish at Galwan, which resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers.

After the guns fell silent, it was loudly trumpeted that New Delhi had exacted revenge for the killings and taught the Chinese a lesson.

But the then army chief’s memoirs reveal that this spin was at variance with much of what actually transpired. 

For example, according to Naravane, in August 2020, when four Chinese tanks, supported by infantry, advanced towards Rechin La in Eastern Ladakh, he raised the alarm, but his superiors in Delhi instructed him to wait for orders from higher levels of the political establishment before opening fire or taking any proactive step.

Meanwhile, the Indian side had fired a warning shot, but the Chinese forces showed no signs of retreat and continued their advance. Naravane then dialled the political command (read Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar) for instructions.

It was clearly a situation which demanded great urgency and quick decisions.

However, nothing was forthcoming from any of them.

Later in the evening, a message was conveyed to Naravane from the Prime Minister: “Jo uchit samjho, woh karo. (Do whatever you deem fit).”  

The army chief recalls in his memoirs that he was “handed a hot potato…With this carte blanche, the onus was totally on me.”

He was left to make a strategic decision with huge political, economic, and diplomatic implications. Normally, in such serious circumstances driven by national security concerns, it is for the political leadership to take a call.  

Luckily, Naravane did not escalate the situation and trigger a war. Instead, he lined his tanks in a manner which conveyed to the Chinese that the Indian side was ready for battle. The bluff worked, and the People’s Liberation Army slowly retreated. The army’s strategy of not firing the first shot had worked.

Back in Delhi, the spin doctors collaborated with sections of the loyal media to present the incident as another instance of the establishment outsmarting the Chinese. Modi, it was said, demonstrated strong leadership qualities, embodying a no-nonsense, decisive approach when it came to matters related to the defense of the country. He represented a new and assertive India!

General Naravane’s memoirs would have presented a different narrative had Rahul Gandhi been permitted to quote from them in the Lok Sabha. So, the ruling party did all it could to question the veracity of the ex-army chief’s memoirs. One minister even said that it was factually incorrect, which was why the book was never cleared for publication. In saying this, he was implying that the General was lying.

The Speaker then ruled that passages cannot be read in Parliament from an unpublished book. General Naravane’s book may have failed to reach the bookstores, but it did create a buzz in the lower House, in the public domain, and on social media.

It's important for the ruling dispensation to recognise that mistakes occur when a nation goes to war, or, in an apparent conflict situation. In such situations, it's better to acknowledge those mistakes (and find possible solutions), rather than create a false narrative.

After the Sino-Indian conflict in 1962, Jawaharlal Nehru openly admitted that his government had failed to foresee and address the Chinese threat. Criticism of the government's China-friendly policies came not only from the Opposition, but also from President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. Nehru allowed his critics to express their views and took the time to listen to them.

This was a demonstration of a vibrant, responsible and accountable democracy in action.

We need more free and frank discussions in Parliament. Stifling dissent and criticism is no answer. And yes, General Naravane’s memoirs need to see the light of day and be read by not only defense and foreign affairs strategists, politicians, journalists, and the reading public – it should be debated in university campuses, seminars and conference halls, by all concerned, in a serious, rational, and objective atmosphere.

Hiding reality, or written text, history has proved, tends to boomerang. All that is banned or shut out from the public domain forcibly, has an uncanny knack of reappearing in all kinds of places.