Elevation puzzle for army
December 19, 2016 10:31
The announcement of Lt Gen. Bipin Rawat as the next chief of army staff, superseding two seniors, has befuddled the army that is wondering if this will now be the policy.
The government is well within its rights to choose any officer as the chief of the army. But the convention of appointing the senior-most commander - barring two occasions in 1973 and 1983 - had come to be accepted as the policy.
On the two previous occasions when officers were superseded, the Prime Minister was Indira Gandhi. Although the Congress has questioned the choice of Rawat as the army chief, it was its governments that set the precedents. Rawat will supersede Lt Gen. Praveen Bakshi, who heads the Eastern Command at Fort William, and Lt Gen. P.M. Hariz, who helms the Southern Command. Government sources defended the selection. Read more
The government is well within its rights to choose any officer as the chief of the army. But the convention of appointing the senior-most commander - barring two occasions in 1973 and 1983 - had come to be accepted as the policy.
On the two previous occasions when officers were superseded, the Prime Minister was Indira Gandhi. Although the Congress has questioned the choice of Rawat as the army chief, it was its governments that set the precedents. Rawat will supersede Lt Gen. Praveen Bakshi, who heads the Eastern Command at Fort William, and Lt Gen. P.M. Hariz, who helms the Southern Command. Government sources defended the selection. Read more
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