Our Correspondent
Congress and the Left parties have questioned the appointment of Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat as the new army chief who has superseded by two officers.
On the other hand BJP has slammed what it calls the “politicising” of a key army appointment. It said that there should be no politics on defence forces asserting that Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat has been elevated to the top post considering the current security scenario.
BJP Secretary Shrikant Sharma said that the new Army Chief was chosen from a pool of five senior-most officers, who are all competent, and Rawat’s appointment should not be seen as negative against others. He alleged that politicising the appointment by Congress shows its frustration following successive electoral defeats. Earlier, Congress and the Left questioned the appointment of the new army chief who is superseded by two officers.
The defence establishment is divided. Retired Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain said, “I have only endorsed the upgradation of the army chief to the highest rank. There is nothing political about this. The Indian Army is above politics.”
Former army chief General Shankar Roy Chowdhury, however, said he did not agree that the present appointee “has the kind of experience we need” and added that he was “beyond disappointed and anxious” about the move’s impact within the forces. While it was the government’s prerogative to appoint Army chief, the decision has opened up a controversy on an issue that is “extremely divisive within the army”, he added.