New Delhi: Indian defence minister Sharad Pawar told the Parliament early this weel that the army chief Gen. S.F. Rodrigues would not repeat the lapse of issuing a controversial statement as he did recently

The minioter was respending to points of order raised a few days impropriety in giving an interview to a newspaper in which had had reportedly observed that the army was worried about “the siege within” the country and that “good governance was also our (army’s) business as well”,

Several opposition members had raised the question of interview on March 14. A few an at a Dal members went to the extent of demanding dismissal of the general, The minister of state for defence had assured the members that the government would look into the matter and that the defence minister would come back to the house soon with a statement, Although no member had raised the matter again, Pawar on Monday made the statement sue moto, He said he had spoken to the army chief and was new satisfied with his explanation, The minister said that the general had assured him that he stood “fully committed to follow the government’s policy and directions in regard wo each of the various issues referredtoin his interview”, The part of the army chiefs interview to be published by the newspaper concerned  because he was not in the country at that time. Even otherwise it would have made matters worse if the government had decided to stop the publication of the second installment of the controversial interview.

The minister appealed to opposition members to treat the matter closed in view of his statement and because of the “sensitive nature” of the matter. All the opposition members agreed to the suggestion,

The minister emphasised that the Indian army was a professional army and that it functioned under the directions of the defence ministry and had been insulated from an all controversies

Observers, however, feel that the army chief’s statement symbolizes the emergence of security forces in India as a major political for    in view of the fact these forces are increasingly being given a big say in the maintenance of order. For instance, the army acquired anew role in the wake of the operation blue star” and several active players  in that tragic drama had to be politically accommodated after retirement, The same is true of the army’s role in Kashmir and Sri Lanka as well as in Assam and other easter states.

Besides, the Indian government itself sent the present army chief to the U.S.A. sometime ago on a wholly political mission

Article extracted from this publication >> March 27, 1992