BJP asks Congress to stop politicising Army chief's appointment

The party said Lt Gen Bipin Rawat was picked up from a pool of five senior-most officers

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday condemned Congress for its attack on the government over the army chief's appointment, saying there should be no politics on defence forces and asserted that Lt Gen Bipin Rawat has been elevated keeping in mind the current security scenario.

The party said that the new army chief was picked up from a pool of five senior-most officers, who are all competent, and Rawat's appointment should not be seen as a negative against others.

Lashing out at the opposition party, BJP said the Congress politicising the appointment of the army chief shows its "frustration" after it has been pushed to the "margins" of national politics following successive electoral defeats.

"They are all competent officers but under the prevailing security scenario, the government found Lt Gen Rawat as the most suitable candidate. We will urge all political parties to not do politics over it," BJP National Secretary Shrikant Sharma said, after the government came under flak for ignoring the seniority norm in picking Rawat.

Responding to the Congress' critical comments regarding the impending appointment of a new Chief Justice, Sharma said the opposition party should not reach a premature conclusion and wait for an appropriate time.

"If any party has flouted the democratic norms most, it is the Congress party. BJP has always adhered to democratic norms," he said.

Congress and the Left have questioned the appointment of the new army chief by superseding two officers, asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to spell out the "compelling reasons", and wondered if it was "whimsical cherry picking".