CHIEF AMONG THEM

Eastern army commander Lt Gen. Praveen Bakshi opted for the unprecedented move of serving under his junior, Gen. Bipin Rawat, who was appointed army chief. The rumour mills in Delhi speculated about a government offer of the first-ever post of Chief of Defence Staff. The genesis lay in Gen. Bakshi’s meeting with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on December 21. But while the government is clear on a CDS, South Block officials say there is neither a deadline yet for the appointment nor a guarantee that Bakshi will get the post. Incidentally, Bakshi himself dispelled such talk in his December 31 address to his men where he denied either asking for or being offered anything by the government.