NEW DELHI, India — Former Army Chief General (Retd) M.M. Naravane on Tuesday publicly clarified the status of his yet-to-be-published memoir, as a political dispute over its contents continued to disrupt proceedings in Parliament.
Breaking his silence on the controversy surrounding his book, which reportedly discusses the 2020 Galwan Valley standoff between India and China, General Naravane shared a brief post on social media outlining its current status. The book, titled Four Stars of Destiny, has been at the center of a heated exchange between the government and the Opposition and has contributed to a week-long stalemate in the Lok Sabha.
“This is the status of the book,” General Naravane wrote, sharing a clarification issued by publisher Penguin Random House regarding the unpublished manuscript.
The political confrontation escalated further on Tuesday when Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi challenged claims that the memoir was under review by the Ministry of Defence. Speaking to the press, Gandhi asserted that the book was already in the public domain, alleging that it was available on e-commerce platforms such as Amazon. He also claimed that General Naravane had previously encouraged readers to read his account of the Galwan confrontation in 2023.
Penguin Random House, however, rejected those claims and reiterated that the memoir has not yet been released. The publisher stated that it is the sole rights holder and warned of legal action against any unauthorized circulation of the manuscript.
In an earlier statement, the publisher said the book has not gone into publication and that no copies—print or digital—have been distributed, sold, or otherwise made available to the public. It further emphasized that any versions currently circulating, in whole or in part, whether online or offline, constitute a violation of its copyright and must be withdrawn immediately.
General Naravane’s brief clarification appears aimed at settling conflicting claims over the book’s availability, amid accusations from the Opposition that the government is blocking its release due to what it has described as “discomforting truths” related to the Galwan clash.
