Chaos Erupts in Parliament After Rahul Gandhi Brings a Copy of Gen Naravane’s Book; Terms of the Indo-US Deal Remain ‘Murky’, Says Congress; Mamata Banerjee Appears Before SC on Her Own Petition
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February 4, 2026
Sidharth Bhatia
As most of the contentious scenes playing out in Parliament are focusing on the phone call recounted by former army chief General M.M. Naravane, there are other serious questions raised in Sushant Singh’s Caravan article recounting the so-far censored autobiography of the former Army chief, Four Star of Destiny. Read here.
The article revealed that the political directions conveyed to the army at a time of extreme stress on the India-China border were merely “jo uchit samjho, woh karo (do whatever you deem appropriate)” and these are drawing criticisms and questions over possible abdication by the Modi government over its responsibility.
The controversy over the Modi government’s handling of the China border crisis escalated by one more step on Wednesday as Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi brought a copy of Four Stars of Destiny to parliament. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey for his part brought books about corruption in the Nehru-Gandhi family – as well as one book titled Edwina and Nehru – and the House was adjourned amid the fracas that followed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reply to the motion of thanks to the president’s address scheduled later in the afternoon was cancelled and the House adjourned abruptly minutes after it reconvened at 5 pm.
Replying to a motion of thanks to the President’s speech in parliament, Congress president and leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday questioned the manner in which the India-US trade deal was announced, as the terms of the trade deal remain “murky”. Questioning the secrecy regarding the trade deal with the US at a time when the parliament is in session, Kharge asked whether India had compromised in any manner under US “pressure”. He also asked whether India agreed to the zero tariffs on American imports, as claimed by US President Donald Trump in his announcement, further raising concern for the country’s farmers.
A day after Trump said India agreed to halt purchases of Russian oil as part of a new US-India trade deal, the

