Budget 2026 highlights: Lok Sabha adjourned after ex-army chief's book sparks Rahul vs govt row

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Budget 2026 LIVE: Lok Sabha on Monday was adjourned repeatedly and was later adjourned for the day after ruckus erupted over Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi quoted from an unpublished memoir of former Army chief M M Naravane, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah objecting to it

The House, which began discussion on the motion of thanks on the President's Address, was adjourned till 3 pm, 4 pm and later for the day.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said the strategic disinvestment of IDBI Bank is on track the he government will introduce amendments to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code

Budget 2026 LIVE: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday said that national security is very important. “Don't play with national security by speaking the language of anti-India elements,” ANI quoted him as saying.

Rijiju also called out Gandhi for making “the national security issue a political weapon, an instrument to make some kind of damaging statement in the parliament.”

Budget 2026 LIVE: On Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi's statement in the Parliament, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that the most important thing that the Congress did during Nehru Ji's time was to conduct debates in Parliament.

“Every single day, the China War of 1962 was going on in November, and there was a debate in Parliament where there was no whip," ANI quoted him as saying.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Union Minister Giriraj Singh accused Rahul Gandhi of displaying indiscipline in Parliament and refusing to follow the Speaker’s orders. He said the LoP should focus on discussing the President’s address to maintain the dignity of the position, calling Gandhi’s conduct childish.

Singh alleged that such statements defame India globally and undermine the bravery of the armed forces.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday said Rahul Gandhi was not trying to defame the Army and was only reading an excerpt from a book written by the Army Chief. She alleged that the BJP makes such accusations whenever something emerges that it wants to hide.

”They (BJP) always say this whenever something comes out that they want to hide," ANI quoted her as saying.

Budget 2026 LIVE: On Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi's statement inside the Parliament, Congress MP K. C. Venugopal on Monday said that whenever a question against the government is raised, the same slogan is repeated by the Parliamentary Affairs Minister and the government.

“The President, in his speech, spoke categorically about the national security achievements of this government...When Rahul Gandhi says all these things, he becomes anti-national,” ANI quoted him as saying.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Lok Sabha on Monday was adjourned till 11 am tomorrow amid ruckus over Rahul Gandhi quoting from an unpublished memoir

Budget 2026 LIVE: Lok Sabha resumed again on Monday at 4pm after being adjourned for 1 hour

Budget 2026 LIVE: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said the strategic disinvestment of IDBI Bank is on track and that the pace of PSU stake sales will set the direction for non-tax revenues.

She said the government will introduce amendments to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code in the second half of the Budget session beginning March 9, PTI reported.

Budget 2026 LIVE: On Rahul Gandhi's remarks in the Lok Sabha, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Monday said that “Such topics should not be discussed.” Dubey said that Gandhi did not know what he was talking about. “He simply brought whatever speech someone else had written for him”, ANI quoted Dubey as saying.

He said that when Parliament was formed, certain rules were laid down, including Rule 349, which prohibits quoting from any book or newspaper.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said that the pace of disinvestment and asset monetisation will continue, noting that it would encourage greater public floating of central public sector enterprises (CPSEs). She added that the hike in Securities Transaction Tax (STT) on futures and options is intended as a deterrent to prevent investors from rushing headlong into speculative derivative trading.

Sitharaman also said volatility in gold prices, “global uncertainty, shows investors do not have confidence in any particular currency.” She further stated that the Budget prioritises investment as a key tool to sustain growth, with a focus on labour-intensive sectors.

Budget 2026 LIVE: BJP MP Shashank Mani said that LoP Rahul Gandhi kept changing his sources of information. “First, he claimed the statement was from a book. Then he said that the book hadn't been published, and that the statement was from Caravan magazine,” ANI quoted him as saying.

He added that even after the Speaker gave a ruling on the matter, Gandhi continued to defy it, forcing the House to be adjourned for an hour.

Budget 2026 LIVE: After Lok Sabha was adjourned till 4pm, Rahul Gandhi told HT, “I have 2 bullets, lets see what happens. I am quoting from a magazine so how can they say unpublished.”

A row erupted in the Lok Sabha on Monday after the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, quoted from an unpublished memoir of former Army chief M M Naravane.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Lok Sabha was adjourned again till 4pm amid ruckus over ex-army chief's book.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Lok Sabha proceedings resumed at 3 pm on Monday after being adjourned.

Budget 2026 LIVE: General Narvane served as the 28th chief of the Indian Army after taking over as COAS from General Bipin Rawat on 31 December 2019. He also served as the temporary Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee from December 15 2021, until his superannuation on April 30 2022.

A row erupted in the Lok Sabha on Monday after the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, quoted from an unpublished memoir of former Army chief M M Naravane.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Moments into his speech in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi referred to an allegation made by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya against the Congress, linking it to questions of patriotism and national culture.

Tejasvi Surya, during his address, criticised the Congress, stating that its government has never mentioned India's civilisational ethos. He challenged Congress leaders to show any instance while reading from the previous President's addresses.

Budget 2026 LIVE: A row erupted in the Lok Sabha on Monday after the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, quoted from an unpublished memoir of former Army chief M M Naravane, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah objecting to it.

As Gandhi rose to speak on the Motion of Thanks to the president's address and began quoting from the book, Singh asked him to clarify whether the book had been published or not.

Budget 2026 LIVE: The Lok Sabha will meet again at 3pm on Monday following a disruption caused during Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s address.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday questioned the Speaker’s ruling that barred him from quoting a magazine story containing excerpts from the unpublished book of former Army chief General MM Naravane (Retd).

“What does it contain which is scaring them so much? If they are not scared, I should be allowed to read on,” Gandhi said, after the ruling came during his remarks on matters relating to China.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday objected to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi during his Lok Sabha address, saying that the topic being raised had already been discussed.

“The topic he is raising has already been discussed, but he is repeating an issue on which a ruling has already been given. He is not following the guidelines and rules…,” Rijiju said.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Monday objected to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in the Lok Sabha, urging him to place before the House the book he was citing.

“I want that LoP, Lok Sabha (Rahul Gandhi), should present before the House the book he is quoting from, because the book he is referring to has not been published,” Singh said, reiterating that unpublished material should not be cited during parliamentary debate.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Union parliamentary affairs minister on Monday said the Speaker has ruled that articles from magazines or newspapers cannot be quoted in the Lok Sabha, stressing that debates must adhere to established rules.

“The Speaker has given a ruling that articles from magazines or newspapers cannot be quoted in the House... Debate in the House should be held according to the laws,” the minister said, amid continued disorder during proceedings.

Budget 2026 LIVE: A ruckus erupted in the Lok Sabha on Monday soon after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi began his address, with defence minister Rajnath Singh and home minister Amit Shah interrupting his speech over a reference he made.

Gandhi was quoting from an unpublished book by former Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane when Rajnath Singh intervened, objecting to the citation and saying that unpublished material cannot be quoted in the House.

Amit Shah also joined in, backing the objection and urging Gandhi to rely only on formally published material. “Magazine can publish anything,” Shah said, arguing that such references should not be part of parliamentary proceedings.

The objections led to brief disorder in the House, with Opposition members protesting the interruption while the Treasury benches insisted on adherence to parliamentary norms.