General in crosshairs

It appears the recent observations of the Army chief, General Bipin Rawat, on socio-political trends in Assam, have not been appreciated for the context in which these were made. At a seminar of military professionals on the “North East Region of India – Bridging gaps and Securing Borders”, organised by the Centre for Warfare Studies and the Integrated Headquarters of the Defence ministry, the Army chief noted that a regional party of Assam, the AUDF, had grown faster than the BJP. This has been misunderstood in some quarters to mean that he favoured one party over another, while the context suggests that he was referring to an underlying trend with an impact on the security matrix. He noted that the ISI was engaged in a long-term exercise of pushing illegal Bangladeshi immigrants into northeastern India.

It is not clear from his reported remarks if he said that illegal immigrants voted AUDF. It is well-known, however, that the AUDF, led by Badruddin Ajmal, is not an exclusive Muslim party, and that it draws voters and candidates from non-Muslims as well. The Indian Army is known for its apolitical nature. Indeed, not long ago, General Rawat had urged, in the Kashmir context, that any temptation to politicise the armed forces must be eschewed. While speaking on the northeast, he pointedly noted that Muslims in Assam arrived in the early 13th century, before the arrival on the scene of the Ahoms (from Thailand), who make up the Hindu society in the state. As such, he noted, it would be wrong to discriminate against them in any manner when illegal immigrants were being identified. Political leaders should take note.