Virtually putting end to speculations of his resignation, Lt. General Pravin Bakshi , who was superseded for the post the Army Chief, on Saturday said that “he would continue to lead Eastern Command with full professional sincerity as hither-to-fore.”
While conveying his best wishes to the newly appointed Army Chief General Bipin Rawat, who took over today noon, Bakshi said that “full support of Eastern Command to General Bipin Rawat on having taken over the Chief of Army Staff.”
Issuing a statement, Bakshi requested that ‘speculations and trolling in media and social media should stop and everyone should focus on contributing their best to the betterment of the Army and the Nation.”
With the announcement by the Government of appointing Bipin Rawat as the new Army Chief by ignoring two senior army officers including Bakshi, military circles were full of speculations that superseded Bakshi might resign. The last time an officer was superseded in the appointment of a new Army chief, he had resigned. Lt General SK Sinha, who put in his papers after the Congress government of Indira Gandhi picked his junior General AS Vaidya to be chief in 1983.
Lt Gen Bakshi, an armoured officer, was considered as the front runner for the top post in the Army. However, keeping aside the trend of seniority being the lone criteria, the government appointed Lt Gen Bipin Rawat, a batch junior to Lt Gen Bakshi, as the next chief. While defending its stand, government stated that the Lt Gen Rawat, an infantry soldier, was found best suited among three officers to deal with challenges like cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and the situation with Pakistan. And government has maintained that both areas will be under focus for the next 2-3 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government.