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‘Between publisher and MoD’: What General MM Naravane said on his book at nub of Rahul Gandhi vs BJP in LS
General MM Naravane was asked about it at an event last year, where he said he had done his job of writing, and publisher has to get permission from MoD
Former Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane's memoir titled 'Four Stars of Destiny' was supposed to be published in April 2024, as per the pre-order announcements made in 2023 by the publisher. Amazon still has a listing but says: “Currently unavailable. We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock.” It's making news, nonetheless, in 2026 as Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi sought to read a magazine report that quotes parts of it, in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
General MM Naravane was asked about it in October at a literature festival in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, where was in a session on his recently published fiction, 'The Cantonment Conspiracy'.
On 'Four Stars of Destiny', he had said, “I think it is maturing, like aged wine. The longer it’s there, it becomes more and more vintage; of greater value,” as per a report in The Print. “My job was to write the book and give it to the publishers. It was the publishers who were to get the permission from the Ministry of Defence," he reportedly told a guest at the festival, “It is still under review for more than a year now.”
Also read | Ex-army chief Naravane's unpublished memoir at centre of Rahul Gandhi vs govt in Lok Sabha
"But I enjoyed writing the book, for better or for worse. And that’s that. It is for the MoD to give permission as and when they deem fit,” he further said.
It is considered standard practice for books by former senior military officials to undergo scrutiny to check for sensitive material, but General Naravane’s book drew controversy for reportedly revealing discussions on issues such as the Agnipath scheme and the Galwan clash in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a fight with the Chinese.
Gen MM Naravane served as India’s Chief of Army Staff from December 2019 to April 2022.
When Rahul Gandhi sought to speak about a report in The Caravan magazine that purportedly quoted parts of the memoir about Galwan and “tanks coming from the Chinese side”, defence and home ministers Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah objected.
“I am confident that the book has not been published, so he cannot quote from it,” Rajnath Singh said.
Speaker Om Birla agreed, and a ruckus then led to Lok Sabha proceedings being adjourned.
The book has no confirmed release date, and all pre-orders were cancelled already.
The Amazon listing says it has 448 pages. The description reads: "From his first encounter with the Chinese as a young officer in Sikkim to dealing with them in Galwan when he was Chief, from daily incidents of firing across the LC to implementing a ceasefire with Pakistan, General Naravane takes us through his distinguished career spanning over four decades that saw him serve in all corners of the country."
As for Naravane's other book, military thriller ‘The Cantonment Conspiracy’, that was published in March 2025. This novel has two officers from the National Defence Academy investigating a case of assault and murder in a garrison.
