New Delhi: Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat’s appointment as India’s new Army Chief ahead of two more senior officers sparked a fierce political row between a section of the Opposition and the government on Sunday.
The Congress and the Left asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to spell out the “compelling reasons”, while the government said it followed standards norms and did not require the permission of 10, Janpath (Congress chief’s residence) for the same.
The BJP also hit back, saying issues related to the defence forces should not be politicised. The slugfest comes at a time when the Opposition is bitterly opposed to the government’s demonetisation move, disrupting an almost entire Parliament session.
In a rare decision for the Army which follows seniority in appointments, the new chief was handpicked for the top job over two senior officers — Eastern Army commander
Lt. Gen. Praveen Bakshi and Southern Army commander Lt. Gen. P.M. Hariz. In 1983, General A.S. Vaidya was made the 13th Army Chief overlooking the seniority of Lt. Gen. S.K. Sinha.
Congress leader Manish Tewari said while Lt. Gen. Rawat may perhaps have all the requisite credentials but the “fact remains that in a hierarchy-conscious organisation where the principle of seniority is almost sacrosanct,” the “supersession” of senior officers raises "extremely serious and critical questions of institutional integrity”.
“Why does the Army have to go through unnecessary bloodletting at the top is it whimsical cherry-picking? The Prime Minister himself should spell out the compelling reasons behind this supersession,” he said. CPI’s D. Raja said appointments in the Army have become controversial.
