Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Thursday spoke out against violence during protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
Rawat, who was speaking at an event in Delhi on the nature of leadership, declared those behind the protests in universities and colleges that had led to violence were not leaders.
Rawat claimed, "Leadership is all about leading." He emphasised that while leadership may appear simple, it was not. Explaining the complexity of leadership, Rawat declared leaders even emerge among crowds. “But leaders are not those who lead people in an inappropriate direction. As we are witnessing in a large number of universities and colleges, the way they are leading masses and crowds to carry out arson and violence in cities and towns. This is not leadership.”
Rawat, who is due to retire on December 31, is among the frontrunners for the post of chief of defence staff, which the Narendra Modi government is expected to announce on Thursday.
Rawat has been criticised in the past for making comments on sensitive political issues. Reacting to his comments against people protesting against the Citizenship Act, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted, "Leadership is knowing the limits of one’s office. It is about understanding the idea of civilian supremacy & preserving the integrity of the institution that you head."
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Congress leader Digvijaya Singh also responded to Rawat's comments against the CAA protests. Singh tweeted, “I agree General Saheb but also leaders are not those who allow their followers to indulge in genocide of communal violence. Do you agree with me General Saheb?”
In February 2018, Rawat had expressed concern over the growth of the AIUDF political party in Assam. The AIUDF draws its support predominantly from Muslims in the state. Rawat claimed that the party was growing at a faster pace than the BJP in its initial years and drew attention to the influx of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh into Assam. He claimed the influx of illegal immigrants was part of Pakistan's proxy war against India.
