The Lok Sabha witnessed heated scenes on Monday shortly after Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi started his addressduring the ongoing Parliament Budget Session. The situation quickly escalated when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh objected to Gandhi's reference to an unpublished book by former Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. Singh argued that material not formally released to the public cannot be cited during parliamentary proceedings.
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. The Congress leader insisted that the document was authenticated and he could quote from it. He said he never wanted to speak on the particular issue, but decided to do so after BJP's Tejasvi Surya questioned the patriotism of the Congress party. However, Singh maintained that the book had not been published.Speaker intervenes amid rising tensions
Speaker Om Birla cited rules, saying no book or newspaper clipping can be quoted on a matter not related to the proceedings of the House. Initiating the debate from the opposition's side on the Motion of Thanks, Gandhi then said he was quoting from a magazine article to put forth his views. The defence minister accused Gandhi of "misleading the House". Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav supported Gandhi and urged the Speaker to allow the Congress leader to speak.
Amit Shah steps in
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also supported the objection and insisted that Gandhi restrict his remarks to officially published sources. Emphasising the need for credibility, Shah said, "Magazines can publish anything," while urging the House to maintain established parliamentary standards.
House plunges into disorder
Following the objections, the House descended into momentary disorder. Members of the Opposition protested the interruptions, while MPs from the Treasury benches pressed for strict compliance with procedural norms. The exchange led to a charged atmosphere, which prompted Speaker Om Birla to adjourn the Lok Sabha till 3 pm.
Notably, both houses had convened at 11 am on Monday to discuss the motion of thanks on the President's address. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to reply on February 11. The Budget session will span 30 sittings over 65 days, concluding on April 2. The two Houses will adjourn for a recess on February 13 and reconvene on March 9 to enable the Standing Committees to examine the Demands for Grants of various ministries and departments. Earlier, on Sunday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2026-27 in Lok Sabha, her ninth consecutive Union Budget.