India / Gen Rawat takes charge as Chief of Defence Staff after retiring as Army chief

General Bipin Rawat, who took charge as the country’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) on Wednesday, said the job of the forces is to keep away from politics.

“We keep ourselves away from politics. We work as per directives of government in power,” General Rawat said when asked about reports that the armed forces are being politicised.

“The Chief of Defence Staff will remain neutral. He will be neutral to all the three services, within his own service,” General Rawat further said.

General Rawat’s remarks come days after he publicly condemned those leading violent protests, asserting that leadership wasn’t about guiding people to carry out arson and violence, comments that were widely seen as being aimed at the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests across India.

“Leaders are not those who lead people in inappropriate direction. We are witnessing in large number of universities and colleges that students are leading masses and crowds to carry out arson and violence in cities and towns. This is not leadership,” General Rawat said at an event in Delhi on December 26 as Army chief. He demitted the office on December 31 after serving as Army chief for three years.

The comments by the General drew sharp criticism from Opposition leaders and also senior retired officers. They were seen as being of a political nature.

“Since when have Army Chiefs started commenting about internal affairs. It undermines Civil-Military Relations whose cornerstone is that Armed Forces neither comment or interfere in domestic politics. This has been our singular success going back to 1947,” Congress leader Manish Tewari said on Twitter.

“Leadership is knowing the limits of one’s office. It is about understanding the idea of civilian supremacy and preserving the integrity of the institution that you head,” All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted.

In a statement, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) also “unequivocally condemned” Rawat’s remarks.

A top retired officer said such comments were avoidable as it projected the military as partisan, especially at a time when strong political positions have been taken on the controversial issue.

The army establishment was quick to clarify that General Rawat had neither referred to CAA nor any political event or personality. It added Rawat was addressing the future citizens of India who are students.

After Parliament approved amendments to the citizenship law earlier this month, violent protests have taken place across the country. Multiple protesters have been killed and injured in these protests, especially in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.