New Delhi: Months after a chapter from his unpublished memoir created a furore in Parliament, former Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane cleared the air on “jo uchit samjho, woh karo” (do whatever you deem appropriate) remark that was allegedly conveyed to him by defence minister Rajnath Singh during a border stand-off with China.
The remark showed the government’s “total faith” in the armed forces, and there should be no politics over it, Naravane said in an interview with India Today.
The armed forces were given a “free hand” to respond to the situation on the ground, the retired general underlined.
“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.
“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,” he elaborated.
“Armed forces in our country are totally apolitical, unlike in our neighbourhood,” General Naravane, who served as the army chief between 2019-2022, said, in what was a clear, though veiled, dig at Pakistan.
The controversy erupted during the Budget Session of Parliament in February this year, when Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha attempted to quote from the general’s unpublished memoir – ‘Four Stars of Destiny’. He was prevented to do so by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla as the book was yet to be published.
In his attempt to embarrass the the Government and particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul attributed the statement “Jo uchit samjho woh karo” to the indecisiveness of the country’s top political leadership.
He insisted on carrying a copy of the book to the Parliament during the remainder of the session, though Gen Naravane had clarified that the book was yet to be published.
Rahul insisted on claiming that the former Chief of Army Staff informed the defence minister and others about “Chinese tanks approaching”, but received no direct reply for a long time.
“The PM’s message conveyed to him was, ‘jo uchit samjho, woh karo’,” Rahul said, adding: “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,” Gandhi further claimed.
The incident in question dates back to August 31, 2020, when the Chinese army advanced towards Rechin La in an attempt to recapture some features taken over by the Indian Army.
Gen Naravane maintained that India held the upper hand during the border stand-off. The world saw how China dismantled its own fortifications and pulled back troops in certain areas, he pointed out.
“India dominated the situation along the LAC. The world saw China destroy their fortifications and move back,” the former Army chief said. He stated firmly that “no territory was ceded”, rejecting claims by the Opposition that India lost territory.
Gen Naravane also underscored that there was close coordination between the government and the armed forces during the border tensions, highlighting that decisions were taken jointly.
The memoir was supposed to be released in 2024 by Penguin. But its launch was halted. It is currently pending approval with the Ministry of Defence. The general said that the publisher was in touch with the government on the issue.
The former Army chief also stressed that the memoir reflected his personal perspective and was not based on any “classified documents”. It offers insights into military leadership, including during key operations like the border standoff with China.
