Karti Chidambaram on Naravane book: 'If it's public, it's published'

Karti Chidambaram on Naravane Memoir Row

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Tuesday addressed the row over the alleged circulation of former Army Chief MM Naravane's unpublished memoir, Four Stars of Destiny, saying that "if anything is in the public domain, it's publication." The Congress MP hit out at Penguin Random House, saying that if the publisher has an issue with parts of the book being alluded to, then it should file a copyright infringement case. He further defended Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, saying only Naravane can disavow the book's contents, adding that Naravane hasn't. "This is a very archaic understanding of the word 'publication'. In today's modern world, if anything is in the public domain, it's publication. If Penguin has a grouse against somebody putting out parts of the book in some formats, they should file a copyright case. We are not concerned about that. If it is there in the public domain, it is publication...There were parts of the book which were alluded to in an article which was published. We are only alluding to that. So, if Penguin has a problem, they must sue somebody for copyright infringement. That is the only course of action. The only person who can disavow the contents is General MM Naravane...But he is not saying that...," the Congress MP told ANI.

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His remarks come after Penguin Random House issued a statement, following an allegation by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi that the publisher had incorrectly claimed that 'Four Stars of Destiny', authored by former Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane, was not available for sale. It said that "a book is considered published only when it is available for purchase across retail channels." "Pre-order is a standard publishing practice. It allows readers and retailers to place advance orders. The book is not yet published or available," the publishing house said in a statement posted on its social media platforms.

No-Confidence Motion Against Lok Sabha Speaker

Furthermore, the Congress MP attacked Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, saying he should follow "all other traditions as well," after reports that the Speaker will not attend the House until the no-confidence motion notice submitted by the Opposition against him is disposed of. "It's only fair that he is following this, but I wish he followed all other traditions as well by giving space to the Opposition to speak," he said.

This comes after the Congress submitted a no-confidence motion notice against the Lok Sabha Speaker on Tuesday. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said, "At 1:14 pm today, we submitted a motion for a no-confidence motion against the Speaker under rule 94C rules and procedures."

Reasons Cited for Motion

The Opposition MPs alleged "blatantly partisan" conduct and that leaders of opposition parties were not allowed to speak, according to sources.

Sources said the notice of motion of no-confidence cited four incidents against the Speaker, including the Opposition's allegation that Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to speak in the House during the discussion on the motion of Thanks to the President's Address.

Sources added that the Opposition MPs also flagged the suspension of eight MPs, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's "objectionable and personalised attacks" against former Prime Ministers and Speaker Om Birla's statement, where he said he had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to come to the House to prevent any unpleasant incident, after receiving information that some Congress MPs could come to the PM's seat and "resort to an unprecedented incident." (ANI)