Don't Compromise the Command

The row between Army Chief General VK Singh and the Ministry of Defence over the correct age of the General is a dangerous precedent that will cause havoc in the Chain of Command. On one side is the Army General, who claims to be fighting for his honour as a soldier and on the other are the bureaucrats of the MoD, who refuse to budge from the rules.

The saddest thing about this is the glaring lapse in the records-keeping of the Government of India. The issue of General Singh's age has been going through the corridors of South Block for years now, but each time, bureaucrats have pushed the matter back to avoid taking a cal on it. Now, with the General approaching retirement and the entire Chain of Command at stake, he has taken it to the Supreme Court.

Setting rules and procedure aside, the time is ripe for the Minister of Defence AK Anthony to take a call on the issue and overrule his bureaucrats. The office of the Chief of Army Staff cannot be diminished at any cost. At the same time, communal and casteist forces should refrain from politicising this issue. The guiding principle is that the Army's morale cannot be compromised at all cost.