Veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani has said the recent report in the Indian Express on the purported unusual troop movement in the third week of January highlights a deep trust deficit between the government and the Army.
In his latest blog, Mr. Advani maintains that the report is “extremely alarming” and suggests that the government-Army relations are at an “all-time low.”
His opinion is in contrast to the position of his party. It had said that it was re-assured by the emphatic denials from the government and the Army.
While on one hand, Mr. Advani terms the media report “extremely alarming,”on the other he says he is relieved that the daily has taken pains to dispel emphatically any sinister meaning being read into the story.
Mr. Advani observes that the report reminds him of an incident immediately after the Congress lost in the 1989 general election. “My friend and neighbour, Vijai Kapoor, former Lt. Governor of the Union Territory of Delhi, met me and narrated to me how in 1989, following the defeat of Rajiv Gandhi's government, the then Home Minister Buta Singh initiated a serious move to call in the Army and how it was aborted.”
Quoting from the autobiography of the then Lt. Governor of Delhi Romesh Bhandari, he says that there was indeed a move to rope in the Army to ward off any trouble from possible march of supporters of Ajit Singh from Haryana and western U.P. to the Capital.
Mr. Bhandari had noted in his book that one night he received a call from Buta Singh about rumours of about lakhs of farmers from Haryana and western U.P. being mobilised by Mr. Ajit Singh and others to march into Delhi in a bid to gherao Parliament and Rashtrapati Bhavan to force Rajiv Gandhi to dissolveParliament without which a new government could not be formed.
“Buta Singh said that Parliament was being dissolved, but there were the legal aspects I have mentioned above. He said that I must take immediate preventive measures and ensure that no law and order situation arose till then. We could not permit such an invasion of Delhi,” he had said.
According to Mr. Bhandari, the Delhi Police, the Intelligence Bureau and the Home Ministry denied knowledge of any such movement towards Capital. “This is all that happened. Madan Lal Khurana projected this as an unsuccessful effort on my part to call in the Army. He should know better that no Governor, Lt. Governor or Chief Minister can call in the armed forces by himself. It has to be routed through the Defence Ministry.”
Keywords: BJP leader L.K. Advani, Central Government, Indian Army, V.K. Singh, Government-Army ties, Indian Express report, Mechanised Infantry unit
Mr. Advani has a habit to always fish in troubled water and try to act
smart by giving statements that are confusing and hypocritical in
nature. His present statement vis a vis government-army apparent stand
off is one such example.
Advani is trying to fish in troubled waters, without realising that
matters of national security at stake at this juncture. I am not sure
why media is overreacting to his comments either.
Being a matured politician as well as former Deputy Prime Minister of India, Mr. L.K.
Advani should not have which expressed something which makes alarming. The words of Army Chief that "need their heads examined " is aptly applicable to Mr.Advani. Being a frustrated Prime Minister aspirant,he comes down to make such remarks, which is something deficit in his status.
Even if in case there are differences between government and army , a
senior politician should not make such comments in public.
He is trying to politicise the issue of national interest
Fishing in troubled water ? Even on an extremely sensitive issue like this ? Shame on you , Mr.Advani. It is no surprise , that the people of this rejecte the BJP overwhelmingly , when he was projected as their PM Candidate.
A seasoned politician like Advani, who also happened to be a former home
minister, should not have reacted to media reports as he has done now.
Even, the Chief of Army has called the report "stupid".
Mr. Advani should raise above the party line in matters of national
security and should act with restraint and maturity instead of playing a
second fiddle to Media.
This is very irresponsible on the part of a senior BJP leader who had
an opportunity to work with , "The last statesman : Mr.A.B. Vajpayee"
. Partisan politics like this can lead to killing of the very essence
of democracy. Leaders must understand that by trusting spoof stories
like the one in discussion they are putting the political structure in
jeopardy.Mr. Advani forgot that both the Government and the army had
dismissed the stories about the army movement being more than a
routine exercise .By claiming there is something fishy about the story
,he is showing disbelief not only on the government but also on the
General .
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