Can Rahul Gandhi Quote From Book In Parliament? Experts' Take On Massive Row

Thursday was unprecedented in Lok Sabha, as the crucial debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address was adopted by just voice vote. This followed a four-day political standoff over the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi insisting on quoting from an unpublished book written by former Army chief General MM Naravane (retired) about the 2020 India-China border skirmish in Ladakh.

The political stalemate stalled the functioning of the House this entire week, leading to a situation where neither Gandhi nor Prime Minister Narendra Modi could take part in the important debate.

The standoff has brought into focus Rule 349 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, cited by Speaker Om Birla while rejecting Gandhi's insistence to quote Gen Naravane's unpublished book.

What Rule 349 Says

Rule 349 of the Rules of Procedure bars a member from reading any book, newspaper, or letter except in connection with the business of the House. Citing this rule, the Lok Sabha Speaker said that it has not been the tradition in the House to discuss matters based on newspaper clippings, books, or any other sources that are not authentic.

Read: Rahul Gandhi Must Be Allowed To Speak: Shashi Tharoor On Parliament Row

Birla also referred to Rule 353, according to which a member is not allowed to make an allegation against another member without advance notice.

Rule 353 of the Rules of Procedure states, "No allegation of a defamatory or incriminatory nature shall be made by a member against any person unless the member has given adequate advance notice to the Speaker and also to the Minister concerned so that the Minister may be able to make an investigation into the matter for the purpose of a reply: Provided that the Speaker may at any time prohibit any member from making any such allegation if the Speaker is of opinion that such allegation is derogatory to the dignity of the House or that no public interest is served by making such allegation."

Experts Divided

India's first woman Secretary General of Lok Sabha, Snehlata Shrivastava, pointed out that the current issue relates to an unpublished book, which cannot be authenticated.

"In this specific case, the main issue is that the book has not yet been published. Only the excerpts from an unpublished book have been published in a magazine. It is something that cannot be authenticated because in the case of an unpublished book, the author can change the content of the book in the future," Shrivastava, who served between 2017 and 2020, told NDTV.

Read: 'Parliament Rules Don't Prohibit But...': Sources On Rahul Gandhi Book Row

However, PDT Acharya, who served as a secretary general of Lok Sabha during 2005-2010, held a different view.

"As per Rule 349, you cannot read a book, or an article, or a newspaper except in connection with business of the House. The positive meaning of this is that if a subject is connected with the business of the House, an MP can read it. In Gandhi's case, the business was the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address. This means the business of the House was connected with issues related to defence and foreign affairs. All these matters were there in the President's Address. What Gandhi wanted to say was connected with the business of the House," argued Achary.

Gandhi had a right on this issue since he wanted to read out an article that was published in a magazine, he said.

"Whenever an MP wishes to quote something, he or she can authenticate and verify it. You cannot make defamatory references against anybody, libelous references, but after authentication of the text, the Speaker allows an MP to quote from a published magazine, book, or letter. It was not logical to disallow Rahul Gandhi," Achary added.