Army chief’s remarks on anti-caa stir spark row
We are witnessing... students leading masses and crowds to carry out arson and violence in cities and towns. This is not leadership. GENERAL BIPIN RAWAT, army chief
Leadership is... about understanding the idea of civilian supremacy and preserving the integrity of the institution that you head.
ASADUDDIN OWAISI,
AIMIM chief
NEW DELHI: Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Thursday triggered a controversy by publicly condemning those leading violent protests, asserting that leadership wasn’t about guiding people to carry out arson and violence, comments that were widely seen as being aimed at the anti-citizenship (Amendment) Act protests across India.
The comments by the general, set to retire on December 31 and widely expected to be named India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), drew sharp criticism from Opposition leaders and also senior retired officers though most of the latter did not want to come on record. They were seen as not befitting someone of the stature of the army chief, and as being of a political nature. While Indian armed forces have always been under the control of the elected government, officers have traditionally avoided making comments of a political nature or taking sides in political slugfests.
Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari tweeted: “Since when have Army Chiefs started commenting about internal affairs. It undermines Civil-military Relations whose cornerstone is that Armed Forces neither comment or interfere in domestic politics. This has been our singular success going back to 1947.”
At a speech in an event in Delhi, Rawat said: “Leaders are not those who lead people in inappropriate direction. We are witnessing in large number of universities and colleges that students are leading masses and crowds to carry out arson and violence in cities and towns. This is not leadership.”
Rawat said a leader was someone who leads people in the right direction, gives them the right advice and ensures he cares for the people he leads.
After Parliament approved amendments to the citizenship law earlier this month, violent protests have taken place across the country. Multiple protesters have been killed and injured in these protests.