CPM asks Army Cheif to apologize for his CAA remark
Opposition leader slams Army Chief Bipin Rawat for his remark on the protest of people against the new citizenship law. Congress leaders accused him of undermining civil-military relations.
Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary tweeted “Army Chief’s remark on CAA is highly objectional, unethical and beyond his remit, he is appeared to be a BJP leader who is going to be promoted or rewarded as cds. Rawat needs to be restrained to maintain the impartiality of our army”.
Later senior Congress leader Manish Tewari and former Union minister commented, “Since when have Army Chiefs started commenting about internal affairs? It undermines civil-military relations whose cornerstone is that armed forces neither comment nor interferes in domestic politics. This has been our singular success going back to 1947”.
Also, former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha said, “There are many ways in which domestic norms are being destroyed in India. But Army Chief Bipin Rawat wading into current political controversy is a new low. Must be nipped in bud.”Referring to General Rawat’s remark, another senior Congress leader, Digvijaya Singh tweeted, “I agree General Saheb but also leaders are not those who allow their followers to indulge in genocide… Do you agree with me, General Saheb?”
In a statement, the CPM said, “ Army Chief’s statement underlines as to how the situation has degenerated under the Modi government where the highest officer in uniform can so brazenly breach the limit of his institutional role”. “It is, therefore, necessary to raise the question as to whether we are going to Pakistan’s way of politicizing the military. Such obnoxious interference in matters of democratic struggle from top-ranking military professionals is unheard of in the history of independent India”. The CPM also demanded the Army Chief apologize to the nation “for his indiscretion which has extremely adverse ramifications for the Constitutional arrangement in the country”.