Don't politicise Army Chief appointment: BJP slams opposition

On 18 December, the BJP criticised the Congress for its attack on the government over the appointment of Army chief, saying there should be no politics on defence forces and asserted that Lt Gen Bipin Rawat has been elevated keeping in mind the current security scenario.

The BJP commented on the new Army chief's appointment saying that he was picked up from a pool of five senior-most officers, who are all competent, and Rawat's appointment should not be seen as a negative against others.

Lashing out at the opposition party, BJP said the Congress politicising the appointment of the Army chief shows its "frustration" after it has been pushed to the "margins" of national politics following successive electoral defeats.

"They are all competent officers but under the prevailing security scenario, the government found Lt Gen Rawat as the most suitable candidate. We will urge to all political parties to not do politics over it," BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said after the government came under flak for ignoring the seniority norm in picking Rawat.

Responding to the Congress' critical comments regarding the impending appointment of a new Chief Justice, Sharma said the opposition party should not reach a premature conclusion and wait for an appropriate time.

"If any party has flouted the democratic norms most, it is the Congress party. BJP has always adhered to democratic norms," he said.

Congress and the Left have questioned the appointment of the new Army chief by superseding two officers, asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to spell out the "compelling reasons", and wondered if it was "whimsical cherry picking".

--PTI