New Delhi

Former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Tuesday said that his memoir, Four Stars of Destiny, has not yet been published, endorsing a clarification issued earlier by Penguin Random House India.

In a post on X, Gen Naravane shared a screenshot related to the status of the book and wrote, “This is the status of the book.”

The former Army chief’s statement came after Penguin Random House India issued a fresh clarification in response to claims made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, asserting that the memoir had already been published and was available for sale.

In its statement, the publisher said the book had only been announced and listed for pre-order, but had not entered publication, distribution or sale. It added that any copies currently in circulation were unauthorised and amounted to copyright infringement.

“A book is considered published only when it is available for purchase across retail channels. Pre-order is a standard publishing practice that allows readers and retailers to place advance orders. The book is not yet published or available,” Penguin Random House India said in a statement shared on its social media platforms.

The publisher further clarified that “an announced book, a book available for pre-order, and a published book are not the same thing”, and said it remained committed to clarity and transparency in its publishing practices.

The controversy arose after Rahul Gandhi quoted alleged excerpts from the memoir in Parliament, citing a social media post made by Gen Naravane in 2023. Speaking to reporters outside Parliament earlier in the day, Gandhi claimed that the book was available online and questioned the publisher’s clarification.

Referring to a 2023 post by the former Army chief, Gandhi said, “Either General Naravane is lying, which I don’t believe, or the publisher is lying. Both cannot be true. Penguin says the book is not published, but it appears to be available on Amazon. I believe Gen Naravane over Penguin.”

Late on Monday night, Penguin Random House India reiterated that it holds the sole publishing rights to Four Stars of Destiny and clarified that the book has not gone into production.

“No copies of the book, in print or digital form, have been published, distributed, sold or otherwise made available to the public by Penguin Random House India,” the publisher said.

It added that any copies currently circulating, in whole or in part, in print, digital or PDF form, online or offline, constituted copyright infringement, and said it would pursue legal remedies against unauthorised dissemination.

Earlier, a political row erupted after Rahul Gandhi sought to quote from what he described as a “pre-print” version of the memoir during the Lok Sabha debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address last week. Treasury bench members objected, following which the Speaker ruled that unpublished material could not be cited.

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Meanwhile, the Delhi Police Special Cell has registered an FIR to probe the alleged leak and circulation of the manuscript, which is pending clearance from the Ministry of Defence.