Telangana Congress chief pipes up, claims to remind COAS over 'code of conduct'

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president, Uttam Kumar Reddy on Thursday expressed his reservation on Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat's remark about the ongoing anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in the country.  Uttam Kumar, who had served as a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF), reminded the Army Chief of the Code of Conduct followed by serving military forces. While talking to a news agency, Reddy said, "General Rawat, please do not forget about the code of conduct for military officers serving in the military. Your comments on leadership are unwarranted and highly condemnable."

"A serving Army Chief publicly trying to please the political masters of the day. How unbecoming!" he added.

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Army Chief Bipin Rawat's statement

While addressing the audience at Six Sigma Healthcare Excellence Awards 2019, the Army chief had said, "Leaders are not those people who lead people in inappropriate directions, as we are witnessing in a large number of university and college students, the way they are leading masses of crowds to carry out arson and violence in our cities and towns. This is not leadership."

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Adding further to his statement General Rawat had said, "Leaders are those who lead people in the right direction and not those who send people in inappropriate directions like we have witnessed recently in some Universities and Colleges where a large number of college students have sent large groups to carry out arson in our cities and towns. This is not leadership. A leader is one who leads you in the correct direction, who gives you the correct advice and then ensures that you care for the people you lead. So leadership is through personal example and that is what we in the armed forces are proud of. Every leader in the Indian Army, Defence forces has proved his worth as a leader and that is what I think makes us stand out among our people."

As per the ANI Source, Army chief Rawat had not referred to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 or any political event and was addressing the students there. Sources also added that it was his "righteous duty to guide students on whom shall depend the future of the Nation."

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(With inputs from ANI)