Naravane: Army will stay apolitical, don’t drag it into politics

Manoj Mukund Naravane asserted the Indian Army remains apolitical, stressing that following civilian leadership reflects discipline, not politicisation. He warned against dragging the military into politics, saying neutrality is key to India’s stability and progress

New Delhi: Former Indian Army Chief (retired) General Manoj Mukund Naravane has emphasised the significant distinction between politics and the Indian armed forces, criticising efforts to link the military to political matters.

He said that the Indian Army follows a “chain of command” and following the orders of the political leadership does not indicate the institution has become political.

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General Naravane said this in an interview with IANS in response to a question regarding the politics involving the Army.

“I don’t believe that the Army is being brought into politics, nor will we, as an organisation, come into it. The Indian Army and armed forces are totally apolitical in every direction. However, following the orders of the political leadership does not mean you have become political. There is a difference between these two things,” the former Army Chief told IANS.

Stressing the importance of hierarchy, General Naravane said, “If I pass an order to my junior, it is his duty to follow my order. So, as an Army Chief, who is my senior? The Defence Minister. If the Defence Minister passes an order, the Army has to follow it. This doesn’t mean the Army has become political.”

“The Army is apolitical, but there is a chain of command, and giving respect to that chain of command is the right course of action,” he added.

Criticising the attempts to link the armed forces and politics, the former Indian Army Chief said that India’s ability to progress compared to neighbouring Pakistan is due to the military being “apolitical”.

“Understand the difference — we are an apolitical Army, and we will remain apolitical. And the attempts being made to drag the military into politics are bad for the country. If we are to move forward, the Army must remain apolitical because you have seen what happens in our neighbouring countries and how far ahead of them we have progressed. And if we have been able to progress so far ahead compared to other neighbouring countries, it is because we are apolitical,” General Naravane said.

“People can make an issue out of anything; that is their choice. But we have so much self-confidence among ourselves that no matter what anyone says, we are not going to get trapped or caught in that web. We have faith in ourselves. I always used to tell my soldiers to have faith in themselves. Believe in yourself. Believe that we are a very good Army, a good organisation, and whatever actions we take will be for the betterment of the country,” he added.