NEW DELHI: Former Indian Army Chief (retired) General Manoj Mukund Naravane has emphasised the significant distinction between politics and the Indian armed forces, criticising efforts to link the military to political matters.
He said that the Indian Army follows a “chain of command” and following the orders of the political leadership does not indicate the institution has become political. General Naravane said this in an interview with IANS in response to a question regarding the politics involving the Army.
“I don’t believe that the Army is being brought into politics, nor will we, as an organisation, come into it. The Indian Army and armed forces are totally apolitical in every direction. However, following the orders of the political leadership does not mean you have become political. There is a difference between these two things,” the former Army Chief told IANS.
Criticising the attempts to link the armed forces and politics, the former Indian Army Chief said that India’s ability to progress compared to neighbouring Pakistan is due to the military being “apolitical”. “Understand the difference — we are an apolitical Army, and we will remain apolitical. And the attempts being made to drag the military into politics are bad for the country. If we are to move forward, the Army must remain apolitical because you have seen what happens in our neighbouring countries and how far ahead of them we have progressed. And if we have been able to progress so far ahead compared to other neighbouring countries, it is because we are apolitical,” General Naravane said. (IANS)
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