New Delhi : Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday reacted to the FIR filed by Delhi Police over the alleged circulation of former Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane’s “unpublished memoir” and to the clarification issued by its publisher, Penguin Random House India. Here is a tweet from Mr Naravane which says – ‘Just follow the link to my book’,” Gandhi said.
“The point I am making is – either Mr Naravane is lying or it is Penguin which is lying. I don’t think the former Army chief will lie,” he added. Gandhi argued that despite Penguin’s assertion that the memoir had not been released, it appeared to have been publicly promoted in the past.
“Penguin says the book has not been published. But the book is available on Amazon. Gen. Naravane has tweeted, ‘Please buy my book in 2023.’ I believe Naravane ji over Penguin. Do you believe Penguin over Naravane ji?” he asked.
“I believe Naravane ji has made certain statements in his book which are inconvenient for the government of India and the Prime Minister of India. Obviously, you have to decide if Penguin or the former Army chief is telling the truth,” Gandhi said. His remarks came a day after Penguin Random House India (PRHI) issued a statement asserting that it holds exclusive publishing rights to the memoir Four Stars of Destiny and that the book has not yet been officially released.
The company further stated that no copies of the book had been made available in any format. Penguin warned that any version of the memoir currently in circulation would amount to copyright infringement. “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,” it said, adding that legal action would be pursued against unauthorised dissemination.
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