Permission of 10, Janpath not required to appoint Army Chief: Govt.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Sunday lambasted the Congress for demanding an explanation on the appointment of Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat as the next Army Chief, saying the government followed standards norms and does not require the permission of 10, Janpath for the same.

Taking the Congress to task for time and again questioning the government's decision, Naqvi said the grand old party is till date not able to digest the fact that they have lost power.

"I think till now the Congress is not able to understand that they have lost power at the Centre. The government is following standards norms over the appointment of Army Chief and does not require the permission of 10, Janpath (Congress president Sonia Gandhi's official residence)," said Naqvi, adding the government won't allow the Congress to dictate terms as it did during its tenure at the Centre.

Earlier in the day, the Congress demanded an answer from the government over the decision of appointment of new Army Chief, while asserting that the Army is a public institution and the nation deserves an answer.

Speaking to ANI here after taking to Twitter to voice his annoyance with the decision, Congress leader Manish Tewari assured that this was not a personal attack on the new Chief of Army Staff but a legitimate question.

"With all due respect to General Rawat's professionalism and brilliance as a soldier and no personal animosity to anybody, there is a legitimate question as to why has this supersession taken place. After all, Lt. Gen Praveen Bakshi who commands the Eastern Command, the Southern Army Commander Lt. Gen Mohammed Ali and the Central Army Commander are all senior to the gentleman who is being designated," Tewari said.

Earlier on Saturday, the government announced the name of Lieutenant General Rawat as the new Chief of Army Staff and Air Marshal B.S. Dhanoa as the new Chief of Air Staff.

Lieutenant General Rawat, who took over as the Army vice-chief in September 2016, bypassed Eastern Command chief Lieutenant General Praveen Bakshi (armoured corps) and Southern Army Command chief Lieutenant General PM Hariz (mechanised infantry).

Lieutenant General Rawat has remarkable experience of serving in combat areas and at various functional levels in the Indian Army over the last three decades.

He has handled various operational responsibilities in many areas, including along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and in the North-East.

He is known for his balanced approach towards soldiering, compassion, and his connect with the civil society.