It suits a country like Pakistan but not India. Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat has recently remarked that India is prepared to fight war on two-and-half fronts that include both the external and internal enemies.
Is the army chief talking too much? There is no doubt that given the current situation in India where nationalist sentiments are ruling supreme, a right-wing institution like the army will find it very conducive to thrive. But given the way the army chief is issuing remark more often, it is something unusual by India's standards.
What did Rawat mean by India is ready for war on several fronts? Is war a favourite pastime for the army? Why is there no reaction from India's civilian administration, the one which is not fragile like the one in Pakistan, even as the army chief makes jingoist statements? Forget war, even a war-like situation can inflict a serious injury on the country's economy.
Why doesn't the Modi govt ask the army chief to show retraint?
Rawat's remark was perhaps more a political one to give a message to several quarters but is the army authorised to make political comments either? His remarks will only invite matching reaction from Pakistan and China, heating up the overall scenario in South Asia. How is the Narendra Modi government allowing the army to come up with provocative remarks when it itself is trying to better relations with the neighbours?
The PM did not say or tweet anything on MP
It was also seen that while the army chief was talking more than needed, he who really needed to speak up remained silent. PM Modi did not open his mouth over the killing of five protesting farmers in Madhya Pradesh, a state the BJP is ruling for one-and-a-half decade now, and was seen tweeting about asanas, the crash of a military plane in Myanmar and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Astana in Kazakhstan in the wake of the disaster in MP.
For a man who has done all he could to show himself as a messiah of the farming community, it was a loss of face for the prime minister in MP which is ruled by one of the BJP's best-known chief ministers. The Vyapam scam still could be overlooked but the broadcast of the burning state could not be. One suspects PM Modi has been struck from nowhere in MP and is at complete loss of words on how to tackle the adversity caused by Shivraj Singh Chouhan government's success in agriculture.
Will not it be more logical if the army chief of the country talks less and the prime minister addresses the urgent issues more? Afterall, we are not a country where the uniform dominates.
