Army chief is Always apolitical - Early Times Newspaper Jammu Kashmir

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Army chief is Always apolitical

Omkar Dattatray

1/11/2020 10:16:42 PM

The army generals are always apolitical in India but an army head has to work under the direction of the political executive as all the important decisions are taken by the political masters. However in spite of this the army chiefs are and have worked independently in the country's political and military history. Though the final and absolute powers in a parliamentary democracy lies with the political executive but still then the army general is always free to work and take decisions according to his discretion. These is a debate going on in the country about the then chief of the army general Bipen Rawat remarks being construed as the political statements and the thinkers are of the view that the army general should abstain from giving political statements and the army head should work independent of the political influence. It all started when the ex-army general Bipen Rawat gave a piece of advice to the politicians asking them to not mislead the youth of the country to indulge in anti national activities. As a citizen of the country he is within his rights to give vent to his feelings and no one should give sermons to the army generals. There is no politics in the apt remark of the ex army general. He has said that the leaders should lead the people in the right direction and not lead them to astray as is happening in the country these days. AIMIM head Assud-ud-Din has no locus standi to criticize the army general over his apt remarks. He has no business to give lessons to the army chief. Everyone in the country knows it well that the army head in the country is apolitical figure but he has to keep cordial relations with the government while working independently in the interest of the nation. But then army general cannot dictate the government of the day. He is supposed to work independently in his military decisions but has to obey the rulers of the day. Though he is free to work and take decisions but the final decision in an emergency situation lies with the government of the day. Within this constraint he has to take decisions in relation to his army independently. The army general has to maintain good and friendly relations with the political executive. One wonders as to how the ex army general has crossed the laxman Rekha and has stepped in the domain of politics. As a citizen of the country .he has given vent to his feelings while asking the political leaders to not mislead the gullible public but to lead them in the right direction. One fails to understand as to how was the remark of the army general political and the opposition has unnecessarily made it a subject of debate and discussion when the fact is that the statement of the ex army general was not at all political but was only a feeling of the human mind and it had to do nothing with politics but the cunning politicians are unfortunately giving a political color to the genuine remarks of the then army head which is very distressing and should not have been given. But the fact is that the army head is free to air his views particularly when the remarks are in the national interest. Indian army believes in the supremacy of the civilian political authority and there is a cordial relation between the army and the political authority and this relationship should be maintained for the good of the nation. In fact the Indian army is independent and works independently but then has to follow the government of the day in the scheme of the things. Ultimately the army has to take the final orders from the civilian government. Today the new army head has said that whole J&K belongs to India and he further said that if the parliament wills POK can be ours. In fact he said that army requires only green signal from the civilian government and this is a big statement of the army general and again it has to do nothing with the politics. Today there is pro-active political will and the pro-active army as well and the army takes directions of the political executive and works for defending the borders and be ready for the conventional war fare if the government giver such orders and in this respect the army is subservient to the political will but the delicate balance of power should be maintained for the good of the army and the country in the ultimate analysis. Within this balance of power the Indian army is independent so for its working is concerned.

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