New Delhi, Feb. 14 -- The government may consider introducing a cooling-off period of 20 years for senior officials in positions of power, including military officers, before they can author books after retirement, top officials aware of the matter said on Friday. The developments come against the backdrop of a raging political firestorm over former army chief General (retired) Manoj Mukund Naravane's unpublished memoir Four Stars of Destiny. His claims on one of the most delicate moments during the India-China military standoff in eastern Ladakh in August 2020 has roiled Parliament over the past two weeks. The controversial book came up at the Union cabinet meeting on Friday, and several ministers were of the view that there must be a cooling-off period after retirement for people who have held positions of power to write a book, the officials cited above said, asking not to be named. A formal order on the 20-year cooling-off period is likely to be issued soon, they added. Another issue that came up during the meeting was the controversy surrounding the recently released US Department of Justice files related to disgraced American financier Jeffrey Epstein, HT learnt. Ministers were of the opinion that the government should maintain its stance on the issue, and not respond to continued allegations by the Opposition. P9...