The Indian Army is an admired institution. Some of its Generals have attained the legendary stature of all-time national heroes. It has never crossed the Lakshman rekha, the strict divide between the civilian-political arena and the defence establishment. However, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat’s statements made at a DRDO seminar on the ‘North East Region of India—Bridging Gaps and Securing Borders’ came perilously close to breaching the sacrosanct line. The General is not new to controversy. Unlike earlier, his latest remarks have created a political storm in a sensitive state.
General Rawat sought to link the rise of a political party—Badruddin Ajmal’s All India United Democratic Front—to the demographic change in Assam. All the while hinting that the “population inversion” may have come about through the hostile designs of Pakistan and China—“proxy war”. The AIUDF is part of India’s parliamentary democracy, to put the party or its voters under scanner may not be an ideal way of dealing with the issue of infiltration from Bangladesh. At the same seminar, the General admitted that amalgamation of the population would be the best way forward. His better judgment however got lost in the wake of the controversy, which included a needless comparison between the AIUDF and BJP. How the former has flourished in a shorter time span than the BJP. Needless to say, General Rawat should be advised restraint. He has repeatedly shown a propensity of straying into domains much beyond his remit.
The apolitical nature of the Indian Army is what we hold dear. It’s not for the General to raise questions on what kind of Assam we want. For that India has a political leadership. The Army’s job is to guard and defend the territorial integrity of India and help in internal security whenever called upon. It would be better, if it confines itself to those roles. If General Rawat needs to dive into issues outside his purview, such as demography and foreign policy, he can very well share his concerns with the government, behind closed doors.