New Delhi

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the handling of the Ladakh standoff with China, alleging that the Prime Minister failed to take responsibility during a critical moment and left the Army leadership "abandoned," saying "jo uchit samjho wo karo."

Speaking to reporters on the Parliament premises, Gandhi held what purpotedly was a copy of General Naravane's unpublished memoiras and said he was prepared to personally hand over the book to the Prime Minister in the Lok Sabha, asserting that the contents of the book reveal the "truth" about the government's response during the Ladakh crisis.

"I don't think the Prime Minister will have the guts to come to the Lok Sabha today because if he comes, I am going to give him this book. If the PM comes, I will go physically and hand him this book so he can read it and the country can get to know the truth," Gandhi said.

Referring to the former Army Chief's account, the Congress leader stressed that the book provides a detailed narration of events in Ladakh and should be read widely, especially by India's youth. "Every youngster in India should see that this book exists. This is Mr Naravane's book. He has given an entire account of Ladakh in this book. I have been told that I cannot quote this book," he added.

Gandhi went on to describe what he said was the central episode highlighted in the book, revolving around the movement of Chinese troops and tanks in the Kailash Ridge area.

Gandhi added that when Chinese tanks reached the Kailash Ridge, General Naravane contacted Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to seek directions on how to respond.

"The main line is what the Prime Minister said - 'jo uchit samjho wo karo'. When the former Chief of Army Staff General Naravane called up Rajnath Singh ji and said that Chinese tanks have reached the Kailash Ridge, so what should we do? First, Rajnath Singh did not respond to him," Gandhi said.

He further claimed that General Naravane also reached out to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, the National Security Advisor, and again to the Defence Minister, but did not receive a clear response initially. "He asked Jaishankar ji, NSA and Rajnath Singh but received no reply. He then called up Rajnath Singh once again. Rajnath Singh told him that he would ask the 'top'," Gandhi said.

Gandhi alleged that the "standing order" from the top leadership at the time was that Indian forces should not fire unless they had explicit permission, even if Chinese forces crossed into Indian territory. "The standing order of the 'top' was that if Chinese forces come in, we should not fire on them without permission. Naravane ji and our Army wanted to fire on those tanks because they had entered our territory," he said.

Quoting what he described as the Prime Minister's response conveyed to the Army Chief, Gandhi said, "Narendra Modi ji gave a message that 'jo uchit samjho wo karo'. It means that Narendra Modi did not fulfil his duties; he told the Army chief to do whatever he wants, as 'mere bas ki nahi hai'."

The Congress leader further cited General Naravane's emotional response as recorded in the book. "Naravane ji writes, 'I felt really alone, I was abandoned by the entire establishment'," Gandhi said.

Rahul Gandhi asserted that the Prime Minister must address these issues in Parliament and explain his role during the Ladakh standoff, adding that the country deserves transparency and accountability on matters of national security.

Further, Gandhi and Union Minister of State (MoS) for Railways, Ravneet Singh Bittu today engaged in an exchange of words outside the Parliament, with the Lok Sabha LoP calling Bittu a "traitor."

Rahul Gandhi referred to Ravneet Bittu as a "traitor" as he passed by the protesting Congress MPs at Makar Dwar of the Parliament. Rahul Gandhi's "traitor" jibe came as Raveent Bittu quit Congress and switched to the BJP in 2024.

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Gandhi said, "Here is a traitor walking right by. Look at the face." The Congress leader offered to shake his hands, saying, "Hello, brother, my traitor friend. Don't worry, you will come back (to Congress)."

The Union MoS refused to shake hands and called Rahul, "Desh ke dushman (enemy of the state)".