Four days after the Union government named Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat the next Chief of the Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Praveen Bakshi, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Army Command, who was superseded, met Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and the present Army Chief, Gen. Dalbir Singh, on Wednesday.
The outcome of the meeting was not immediately known.
It was a courtesy call sought by Lt. Gen. Bakshi and lasted about 15 minutes, Defence Ministry officials said without elaborating.
In a late-evening decision last Saturday, Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat, Vice-Chief, was named the 27th Chief of the Army Staff.
In doing so, the government superseded Lt. Gen. Bakshi, who was in line for the post, and Lt. Gen. P.M. Hariz, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Army Command.
Gen. Dalbir Singh will retire on December 31.
While both the Defence Ministry and the Army refused to comment on what transpired at the meeting, some officers felt that Lt. Gen. Bakshi may have wanted to convey his dismay. There is speculation in the Army that he may resign by the month-end.
Prior to the announcement, it was said that Lt. Gen. Bakshi could be appointed the first Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
However, there has been no indication of any movement in the government towards that direction so far.
At present, the position is held by rotation by the senior among the three service chiefs. Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, who will retire by the month-end, will pass on the baton to Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba, as he will be the senior-most.
