In an interview to The Indian Express, Sitharaman said, “When I had a short stint as Defence Minister, I knew General Naravane, a very respected senior general. (PTI)Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi for displaying the book “to get the heft of the General’s name”, she said, the objections raised were against the “wrong quotation” Gandhi had tried to raise in the Lok Sabha. Why are you not learning from your own family?”According to the Finance Minister, Gandhi starting his speech quoting General Naravane was a “Freudian slip that betrayed his intention”. Instead of “changing goal posts”, Gandhi could admit his mistake that he was quoting from an unpublished book and an article and go ahead, she said. Alleging that the Congress party has been “absolutely irresponsible” as an Opposition, Sitharaman said, “We want an Opposition that stands up and asks us questions.

Source: Indian Express February 06, 2026 05:48 UTC