&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘It showed govt’s ‘total faith’ in armed forces’: Gen Naravane on ‘jo uchit samjho woh karo’ remark in memoir")
Former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane finally responded to the controversy over the “jo uchit samjho, woh karo (do whatever you deem appropriate)” message allegedly conveyed to him by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during the border dispute with China and said it meant that the government had ‘total faith’ in the armed forces.
General Naravane said the remark showed the government’s “total faith” in the armed forces and said in an exclusive interview with the publication, India Today, there should be no politics over it.
‘Armed forces were given a free hand to respond’
General Naravane pointed out that the armed forces were given a “free hand” to respond to the situation on the ground.
“Jo uchit samjho woh karo shows the government had total faith in the armed forces. There should be no politics on the subject,” he said, after a controversy erupted in February when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tried to quote from General Naravane’s unpublished memoir in the Parliament, alleging that the remark indicated abdication of responsibility.
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General Naravane further said, “It basically shows the great confidence the government had in the army, its hierarchy, and the service chiefs. They knew that whatever decision was taken would be made while keeping all factors in mind.”
General Naravane, who faced heat over his unpublished memoir after the controversy, also warned against politicising the military.
“Armed forces are totally apolitical, unlike in our neighbourhood,” General Naravane said, taking a veiled dig at Pakistan.
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Rahul Gandhi raked up controversy during Budget session
The controversy erupted during the Budget session of Parliament when Congress MP Rahul Gandhi made repeated attempts to quote from the unpublished memoir, ‘Four Stars of Destiny’. Gandhi was stopped by the Speaker as the book had not been published yet, but he did not stop there. He was seen bringing a copy of the book to the Parliament premises during the session.
Citing excerpts from the book, Gandhi had claimed the former Army Chief informed Rajnath Singh and others that Chinese tanks were approaching. Gandhi claimed Naravane received no direct reply for a long time.
“The PM’s message conveyed to him was, ‘jo uchit samjho, woh karo’. This means Narendra Modi did not fulfil his responsibility... The army chief clearly said in this (book) that he felt alone and was abandoned by the entire establishment,” Rahul Gandhi claimed.
The incident happened on August 31, 2020, as the Chinese military advanced towards Rechin La.
The book was supposed to be released in 2024 by Penguin but is pending approval with the Ministry of Defence.
‘Memoir personal perspective, not based on classified documents’
The former army chief also stressed in the interview that the memoir reflected his personal perspective and was not based on any “classified documents”.
General Naravane also said that India held the upper hand in the border standoff with China. He emphasised that the world saw how China dismantled its fortifications and pulled back troops in certain areas.
“India dominated the situation along the LAC. The world saw China destroy their fortifications and move back,” he said.
General Naravane also rejected claims by the opposition that India lost territory and stated firmly that “no territory was ceded”.
He added that there was close coordination between the government and the armed forces during the border tensions and that the decisions were taken jointly.
