“Now Only Into Fiction Writing”: Former Army Chief M.M. Naravane After His Memoir Debacle

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“Fiction has more freedom than facts,” wrote one user on X under a post about former Army Chief General MM Naravane’s book-signing event for The Cantonment Conspiracy in Pune, Maharashtra. Naravane’s unpublished memoir, Four Stars of Destiny, became the talk of the town during the Budget Session on February 2, 2026. Weeks later, on March 20, 2026, Naravane told reporters that he is “now only into writing fiction.”

The commotion surrounding Naravane’s controversial memoir escalated when Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote an excerpt from the book. During the session, he displayed pages of The Caravan magazine, which reportedly contained an excerpt from the unpublished memoir based on the 2020 India–China standoff.

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What followed was chaos, shouting, and even an FIR filed by the Delhi Police over its alleged illegal publication on digital platforms. Following the FIR, the publishing house Penguin Random House India (PRHI) stated that it possesses the exclusive rights to publish Naravane’s memoir. It further clarified that the memoir has not yet been officially released.

Cut to the present, Naravane’s book The Cantonment Conspiracy, which was released last year, shares his journey from being a soldier to a storyteller. He said, “It has been an interesting journey to write this book and transition from being a soldier to a storyteller.” He further added that he enjoyed writing the book and said that readers will feel the same after reading it.

He continued, "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 Femina. I am now only into writing fiction." 

The Cantonment Conspiracy is a thriller-mystery fiction story that follows the journey of two army officers who venture on a path to solve murders. This marks Naravane’s second chapter in the world of writing. Previously, he had written a memoir, references to which in Parliament caused widespread chaos.

The memoir allegedly pointed fingers at several political leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and their negligence during the India–China clash. According to Reuters, the clash resulted in the deaths of around 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.

Gandhi’s attempt to quote from Naravane’s memoir faced strong objections from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Minister Amit Shah. Several leaders interrupted Rahul Gandhi. Rajnath Singh stated that quoting statements from an unpublished book should not be allowed in Parliament. The ruckus escalated to the point that the Opposition moved a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for cutting off Gandhi during his speech.

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