• Source:JND

The Lok Sabha erupted in chaos after the Leader of the Opposition (LoP), Rahul Gandhi, started to read out excerpts from the Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir, Four Stars of Destiny, during the ongoing Budget session. Senior ministers of the cabinet, including Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, interrupted Gandhi’s speech, which heightened the tension inside the parliament. In the end, the session was adjourned by the speaker till 11 am on Thursday. 

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Who Is MM Naravane?

  • Born on April 22, 1960, in Pune, General MM Naravane is the son of a former Indian Air Force officer. 

  • He served as India’s 28th Chief of Army Staff from December 2019 to April 2022, taking over the charge from General Bipin Rawat on December 31, 2019. 

  • Coming to his educational background, General Naravane is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Pune (56th Course, Lima Squadron). He completed his officer training at the IMA, Dehradun, before being commissioned into the Sikh Light Infantry in 1980.

  • One of the watershed moments of General Naravane’s career has been to oversee the Galwan standoff that brought India and China on the brink of an imminent clash.

  • General Naravane, who retired after four decades of illustrious career and meritorious service, is remembered for ensuring the Indian soldiers remain healthy amidst a global pandemic like COVID-19. 

  • He also took many informed decisions that gave a befitting reply to the advancing forces of the Chinese army in the Eastern Ladakh region.

  • He was also the driving force behind the indigenous ‘Make in India’ or Atmanirbhar Bharat vision of Prime Minister Modi, securing projects worth Rs 11,000 crore for the Indian army. 

  • He also championed the groundbreaking decision to allow female cadets into the National Defence Academy (NDA), forever changing the face of the Indian Armed Forces.

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Recent Controversies

General Naravane was embroiled in a massive controversy after the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, read out a few paragraphs from his unpublished memoir ‘Four Stars of Destiny’ to corner the government on its border policies. Excerpts from the book, which have been published by Caravan magazine takes us to an instance where the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh allegedly told the former Army General, “Jo ucchit samjho woh karo” (Do whatever you deem appropriate).

The excerpts also point to the fact that the former Army General was surprised and angry over the government’s proposal for the Agniveer model, which, according to him, went against the principles of the Indian Army. 


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