Divisions appeared within the Congress over the the Centre's move to appoint lt General Bipin Rawat as Army Chief. While Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari questioned the Centre's step, senior party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Satyavrat Chaturvedi supported the Government, prompting the party leadership to intervene to assert that its spokesman's statement was its official voice.
Chaturvedi opposed raising questions over appointment of lt Gen Rawat as the next Army Chief saying politics and Army should not be mixed.
But Congress reiterated its stand on the controversial appointment for what it termed as "playing with institutions" and doing politics in the army even as he wondered if the appointment of lt Gen Bipin Rawat as the next Chief of Army Staff was Centre's "whimsical cherry picking."
"Seniority is an important consideration, but it is not the only consideration. Qualification is also an important factor. So, the Government must have taken the decision considering all factors. I feel that the present man appointed is a general and he a past record. All these things must have been thought about," Chaturvedi said insisting that politics and defence should be kept apart in the national interest.
"In terms of the appointment of the Army chief, controversy cannot be welcomed. It has been a tradition are also taken into consideration. The decision of what is supreme for national interest is taken by the ruling Government. Army and politics should be like two poles apart. I don't find it right to play politics over national security, he said. "I am in favour of keeping this issue away from any controversy. I don't want to comment on it," he added.