Former Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane was at a book-signing event for his novel 'The Cantonment Conspiracy' when he was asked about his writing plans. He told reporters that now he is only into fiction-writing, news agency ANI reported from Pune on Friday. Former Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane's autobiography 'Four Stars of Destiny' remains unpublished, and is at the nub of a major political row. (PTI File Photo)
This came around seven weeks after his lone non-fiction title — his unpublished memoir ‘Four Stars of Destiny’ that's pending for government approval — rocked the country's Parliament. Because, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi tried to cite its excerpts to assert that the BJP government's policy had been weak against China during the 2020 border hostilities.
"I've always been writing from time to time, not only military reports but also for various academic journals of the army. I had also written a few short stories, one of which was even published in the (magazine) Femina. I am now only into writing fiction," he was quoted as saying in Pune.
On his novel 'The Cantonment Conspiracy', which was released last year, he said, "I'm glad to say that the book is [doing] relatively well for a first-time author who had no idea how to write. It has been an interesting journey to write this book, and transition from being a soldier to being a storyteller. So I enjoyed writing it, and I'm sure all those who read it will enjoy reading it too."
'The Cantonment Conspiracy', published by Penguin Random House India, is a murder mystery weaved around two army officers fresh out of the National Defence Academy (NDA).
On his memoir, he has already clarified via X that its status is ‘unpublished’. That clarification came after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi waved a physical copy on Parliament premises.
It is not published yet, hence cannot be cited, according to Rajnath Singh, who heads the defence ministry where it’s reportedly pending for approval since 2023.