Army Chief's comments on anti-CAA protests spark controversy
With the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) being the raging topic, Army Chief Bipin Rawat also gave his opinion on it, only to invite criticism for taking sides despite holding an apolitical position. The officer condemned leaders who push crowds towards violence. As Rawat gave a lesson on "leadership", there were a few, including AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi, who criticized him. Here's what happened.
Masses being led to carry out violence: Rawat
Rawat made his opinion public at an event in Delhi today. Saying that leaders should lead people in the right direction, he added, "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 violence in our cities and towns."
Here's a snippet of his speech
In anti-CAA protests, nearly 20 have died
This is the first time Rawat, who is due to retire from the top post on December 31, has spoken on anti-CAA protests that turned violent in several parts of the country. At least 20 people, mostly in Uttar Pradesh, have died in the protests and hundreds suffered injuries. Meanwhile, police was criticized for their excesses but cops claimed they were only controlling the ruckus.
Political views today, Army takeover tomorrow: Politicians slammed Rawat
As his words crawled to headlines, Rawat was slammed. On Twitter, Congress' Digvijaya Singh posted, "I agree General Saheb but also Leaders are not those who allow their followers to indulge in Genocide of Communal Violence. (sic)" Separately, party's spokesperson Brijesh Kalappa tweeted, "If Army Chief is allowed to speak on Political issues today, it also permits him to attempt an Army takeover tomorrow!!"
And Owaisi told Rawat about limits!
Notably, BJP has been blaming vested interests for the violence
While anti-CAA protests burnt India, the ruling BJP blamed Opposition and "vested interests" behind the menace. The saffron party, criticized for taking a bigoted view on citizenship, repeatedly said that Indian citizens should not worry about the new law. Due to the widespread anger, Centre dialed down on its nationwide NRC plans with Prime Minister Narendra Modi claiming his government never mentioned it.
Amid protests, PM Modi spoke about citizens' duties
In fact, just yesterday, PM Modi said that protecting public property is the responsibility of citizens. "I want to ask people who resorted to violence in Uttar Pradesh to sit at home and ask themselves whether what they did is good or not," he said in Lucknow. Praising cops for doing a good job, PM Modi said it's high time to emphasize on duties.
