It’s roughly been 5 months since the surgical strikes conducted by the Army (29th September, 2016), and a lot has changed since then. The Prime Minister and his government were accused by politicians for politicizing the Army, even though it was the Army General who had called for the press conference, breaking the big news to the country. But certain senior politicians like P. Chidambaram had gone a step ahead even questioning the Army’s claim, seeking the Modi government to provide for proofs to be given to the people.
Come February, 2017, Chidambaram has kicked up another storm. And it is not the Prime Minister or the Defence Minister facing the ire of Chidambaram’s crookedness, but the Army General himself. He politicized the very same institution (the Indian Army), for which he had blamed the current Central Government.
Background:
On Wednesday, General Bipin Rawat let his intentions known to the media, after paying tribute to the 4 Army Personnel who sacrificed their lives in the line of fire for their Nation.
General Rawat stated that, “We would now tell the local population that people who have picked up arms, and they are the local boys, if they want to continue with the acts of terrorism, displaying flags of ISIS and Pakistan, then we will treat them as anti-national elements and go for them. They may survive today but we will get them tomorrow. Our relentless operations will continue,” The stern warning from the Army General was a resultant of high casualties that the Indian Army has been facing due to the hindrance being created by certain locals harboring terrorists.
The political mud-slinging:
And while such a warning, in any other country would have been supported by all the political parties and politicians alike, it certainly did not go well with the opposition leaders of India. National Conference (NC) spokesperson Junaid Mattu, Supreme Court Lawyer Shabnam Lone condemned the statement of the Army General, which as many would have expected did not come as a surprise.
But it was the statement made by our Ex- Finance Minister and Home Minister, Mr. P. Chidambaram, which seemed to be out of place. Chidambaram, who unlike many has had the privilege of handling two of the most important and coveted portfolios in Indian Politics made an absolute blunder, when he tried to politicize the Indian Army and the statement made by General Rawat.
“The Army Chief’s comments are intemperate. It is a political problem which needs a political solution and a political reach out. I am worried and I request the government to halt this approach and adopt a different one. More infiltration and more encounters are taking place in the state and things are getting very bad,” Chidambaram said.
Not bothering about the precious lives lost, Chidambaram was seen batting for the separatist’s cause when he called Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat ’s statement as “intemperate”.
This new found compassion for Kashmiri militants funded by Pakistan shows the Congress’s desperation to stay relevant in India and in Kashmir, where they were reduced to a meager 12 seats in the assembly elections for 2014.
Impact of Chidambaram’s statement:
With vidhan sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh still in Progress and Municipal Elections in Maharashtra, this uncalled for provocative statement by the erstwhile Home Minister and Finance Minister against a neutral organisation like the Indian Army could cause further misery to the already struggling INC which is grappling with Rahul Gandhi’s theatrics.
Note- tfipost.com hereby pays its tribute and remembers the valour of Patrolman Dharmendra Kumar, Rifleman Ravi Kumar, Grenadier Astosh Kumar and Major S Dhaiya who laid down their lives to protect their country and citizens.
Jai Hind.