'Rahul Gandhi has become laughing stock of nation'

Wed, 11 February 2026
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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Wednesday criticised Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over the controversy surrounding excerpts from former Army Chief General MM Naravane's unpublished memoir, titled 'Four Stars of Destiny', accusing the Congress leader of flouting parliamentary norms and becoming a "national embarrassment."

"Rahul Gandhi has become a laughing stock and the biggest embarrassment for the nation. He mentions the wrong year on paper when bringing a no-confidence motion against the speaker. Penguin Publishing had to clarify that it has not published the book. Rahul Gandhi thinks of himself above the rules and regulations of the Parliament," Poonawala told ANI.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police Special Cell has issued a notice to Penguin India. In the notice, several questions were raised, and responses were sought. On Tuesday, speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Gandhi cited General MM Naravane's 2023 X post and claimed the memoir was available for sale online. "Hello friends, my book is available now. Just follow the link. Happy Reading, Jai Hind. This is the tweet Mr Naravane made. Either he is lying, which I don't believe, or the Penguin (publisher) is lying. Both cannot be telling the truth. Penguin says the book has not been published. But the book is available on Amazon. Gen. Naravane has tweeted, "Please buy my book" in 2023. I believe Naravane over Penguin. Do you believe Penguin over Naravane? I believe Naravane has made certain statements in his book which are inconvenient for the Government of India and the Prime Minister. Obviously, you have to decide if Penguin or the former Army chief is telling the truth," the Congress MP said.

Former Army Chief General Naravane confirmed that his memoir, "Four Stars of Destiny", has not yet been published, backing Penguin Random House India's statement. Sharing a post on X, Gen Naravane wrote, "This is the status of the book." -- ANI