Rule 349 and ex-Army chief's memoir: Why Rahul Gandhi was gagged in Parliament
India Today
Speaker Om Birla referred to Rule 349 to bar Rahul Gandhi from making any references to magazine article that quotes former Army Chief General MM Naravane's yet-to-be published book. But what exactly does Rule 349 entail?
A massive uproar erupted in the Lok Sabha on Monday after Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi referred to an unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General MM Naravane, drawing attention to Rule 349 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the House.
Amid sharp political exchanges, the controversy focused on whether Gandhi was allowed to cite material from an unpublished memoir mentioning the India-China border clashes at Doklam and Galwan or not.
The issue arose during the debate on the President’s Address, when Gandhi began his speech by quoting a magazine article that cited passages from Four Stars of Destiny, an unpublished memoir attributed to General Naravane.
“This is from the memoir of ex-Army chief Naravane. I would like you to listen nicely and you will understand who is patriotic and who is not. This is about when four Chinese tanks were entering Indian territory. They were digging a ridge in Doklam, and the Army chief writes, and I quote from an article that is quoting his book,” said Gandhi while beginning his speech.
Gandhi managed to read just few words, “Chinese tanks in Doklam” before the treasury benches interrupted, halting his speech and triggering chaos in Parliament.
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi present but quietly watching, three Union ministers, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, led the opposition, contending that references to an unpublished book violated parliamentary rules.
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