Keep military away from politics: Rawat

NEW DELHI: Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Wednesday cautioned against politicisation of the military, stressing it should be kept away from politics.

Rawat also said women and politics were never discussed in the armed forces “in the good days” but of late, these topics were finding their way into the discourse. “The military should be somehow kept out of politics. Of late, we have been seeing that politicisation of the military has been taking place…we have a very vibrant democracy where the military should stay far away from the polity,” news agency PTI quoted the army chief as saying.

Rawat was speaking on Media as a Force Multiplier for National Security at a function organised by defence think tank United Service Institution of India. Sources said the chief’s message was to the media that it should avoid linking military with the polity. “Whenever (any) issue (of) link- ing any military establishment or military personnel where political entity comes in then...that is best avoided,” he said.

Rawat’s comments come at a time when there have been instances of the army being dragged into politics on issues ranging from its role in Kashmir to building foot-over bridges in Mumbai after the Elphinstone railway station stampede. The defence forces, he asserted, do best when they don’t meddle in the political affairs of the nation.

Responding to criticism over the army being asked to build foot-over bridges, the army chief said there was a charter of aid to civilians under which the armed forces could be called for help in times of crises. On the controversy over the defence ministry capping educational expenses paid to children of martyrs or disabled soldiers at ₹10,000 per month, Rawat said navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba, who is also chairman of chiefs of staff committee, had taken up the matter with the ministry.