- General MM Naravane reshared Penguin's statement on his unpublished memoir Four Stars of Destiny
- Penguin Random House India holds exclusive rights and confirms no publication yet
- Unauthorised copies of the manuscript are circulating, prompting Delhi Police FIR
Amid growing controversy around his yet-to-be-published memoir, former Army chief General MM Naravane finally broke his silence today by resharing a statement from the publishers Penguin.
"This is the status of the book," General Naravane posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Penguin Random House India yesterday issued a clarification, stating that it holds the exclusive publishing rights to 'Four Stars of Destiny', the memoir of General Naravane, and that the book has not yet been published in any form.
The statement comes amid mounting controversy over the alleged circulation of unauthorised copies of the manuscript and a political row that has spilt into Parliament. The Delhi Police have registered an FIR and initiated a probe into what they describe as the suspected illegal distribution of material from a yet-to-be-approved publication.
Penguin on Monday said that it wished to make its position clear in light of reports that copies of the memoir were circulating in digital and other formats.
"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.
The company further said that no copies of the book -- "in print or digital form -- have been published, distributed, sold, or otherwise made available to the public" by the publisher.
"Any copies of the book currently in circulation, in whole or in part, whether in print, digital, PDF, or any other format, online or offline, on any platform, constitutes an infringement of PRHI's copyright and must immediately be ceased," the statement added.
The intervention by the publishing house followed the registration of a case by Delhi Police.
The controversy surrounding the unpublished memoir escalated after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen holding up what he described as a copy of the book within the Parliament complex last week.
The Leader of the Opposition had sought to cite excerpts from the memoir in the Lok Sabha from February 2 onwards but was prevented from doing so on the grounds that the book had not been formally published.
Addressing reporters in the Parliament House complex on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi again referred to what he described as the "unreleased memoir" of General Naravane. He held up a copy of the book and said he wanted young people in India to know that the book exists.
"The Speaker has said this book does not exist, the government has said it does not exist, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh ji has said this book does not exist. Every youngster in India should see this book exists," he said.
He stated that the former Army chief had written a full account of events during the 2020 India-China standoff in Ladakh.
He also said he had been told that he could not quote from the "memoir" in the Lok Sabha.
