The controversy surrounding former Army Chief General M.M. Naravane’s yet-to-be-published memoir Four Stars of Destiny continued on Tuesday, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claiming that the book had been available online.
Gandhi’s remarks came a day after publisher Penguin Random House India (PRHI) asserted that the memoir has not been published and that no copies—either in print or digital form—have been released to the public.
“Either he (Naravane) is lying, which I don’t believe, or Penguin is lying. Both cannot be telling the truth,” Gandhi said, referring to a tweet by the former Army chief in which Naravane had stated that his book was available online.
VIDEO | Delhi: On row over unpublished book by former Army Chief General MM Naravane, Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) says, “MM Naravane has posted on ‘X’(formerly Twitter) saying, ‘Hello friends, my book is available now. Follow the link. Happy reading'. Either MM… pic.twitter.com/TPuakCz4Y4
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 10, 2026
“Penguin says the book has not been published, but the book is available on Amazon. General Naravane has tweeted, ‘Please buy my book’ in 2023. I believe Naravane ji over Penguin. Do you believe Penguin over Naravane ji?” Gandhi said.
The Rae Bareli MP further alleged that Naravane had made certain statements in the memoir that were inconvenient for the Government of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The controversy began last week after Gandhi was seen displaying a purported copy of the book in the Parliament complex while criticising the Narendra Modi government over its alleged contents.
On Monday, Delhi Police registered an FIR over the alleged illegal circulation of the manuscript in digital and other formats after taking cognisance of information circulating on social media that a soft copy of the memoir was being shared.
Later in the day, PRHI issued a statement reiterating that the book has not yet been published and warning of legal action against any unauthorised circulation of the material.
“Penguin Random House India would like to clarify that we hold the sole publishing rights for the book Four Stars of Destiny, a memoir by General Manoj Mukund Naravane, former Chief of the Indian Army. We wish to make it clear that the book has not gone into publication,” the statement said.
