Govt justifies Lt. Gen. Rawat as next army chief, says he is 'best suited' for the job

New Delhi: The Defence Ministry insisted on Sunday that Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat, named the next Army Chief overlooking the generally followed seniority norm, was "best suited" for the job. The appointment of Lt. Gen. Rawat has ignored the seniority of Eastern Army Commander Lt. Gen. Praveen Bakshi and Southern Army Commander Lt. Gen. P.M. Hariz who have spent longer years in service. Lt. Gen Bakshi was also not appointed the Vice Chief when the post fell vacant in September and Lt. Gen. Rawat was brought in from the Southern Command. "He was found the best suited among the Lt. Generals, to deal with emerging challenges, including a reorganized and restructured military force in the north, continuing terrorism and proxy war from the west, and the situation in the northeast," a source in the ministry said. On Friday, asked if the line of succession will be broken, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had cryptically remarked: "Line of succession is decided by the people." Lt. Gen. Rawat was commissioned in the Fifth Battalion of the 11 Gorkha Rifles in December 1978 from the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, where he was awarded the 'Sword of Honour'. He has commanded an infantry battalion along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), a Rashtriya Rifles Sector and an infantry division in the Kashmir Valley. He also has vast experience in high altitude warfare and counter insurgency operations. "Lt. Gen. Rawat has tremendous hands on experience of serving in combat areas and at various functional levels in the Indian Army over the last three decades," said the source who did not want to be named. "He has handled various operational responsibilities in many areas, including along the LoC (Line of Control) with Pakistan, LAC with China and in the northeast," the source said. "He is known for his balanced approach towards soldiering, compassion, and connect with civil society. His experience as GOC-in-C (general officer commanding-in-chief) Southern Army Command in Mechanised Warfare has been focused towards the western borders, in coordination with the other two services," the source added. Soon after the appointment was announced, the Congress questioned the government decision. Congress leader Manish Tewari tweeted: "Why has seniority not been respected in appointment of Army Chief? Why have Lt. Gen. Pravin Bakshi and Lt. Gen. Mohamed Ali Hariz been superseded, Mr PM (Narendra Modi)?" The Defence Ministry on Saturday night announced the names of the next chiefs of Army and Indian Air Force, 13 days before General Dalbir Singh and Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha are to retire. Air Marshal B.S. Dhanoa will be the next chief of IAF. Commissioned into the IAF's fighter stream in June 1978, Dhanoa, who has flown various types of fighter aircraft and is a qualified Flying Instructor, commanded a fighter squadron during the Kargil Operations and flew numerous night strike missions in the mountainous terrain. He has also held a number of important operational appointments including commanding a fighter base and leading the Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan. He has also served as Chief Instructor (Air) at the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Intelligence) and Senior Air Staff Officer (Chief of Staff) of two operational commands. Why 3rd senior most officer Lt Gen Bipin Rawat is being appointed as new Army Chief? Congress questions The Congress has questioned Lt.Gen. Bipin Rawat’s appointment as the new Army Chief. “Why has seniority not been respected in appointment of Army Chief? Why have Lt. Gen. Pravin Bakshi and Lt Gen Mohamed Ali Hariz been superseded, Mr PM (Narendra Modi)?” Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari posted on his Twitter account on Saturday. “Why has third senior most officer Lt Gen Bipin Rawat with due respects to his professionalism superseded other two in a herarichal force?” he asked. Tewari further corrected himself saying: “Correction… Gen Rawat is not third but fourth senior most. Even Lt Gen BS Negi Army commander Central Command is senior to him? Why Mr PM?” “And I only hope and pray it is untrue that this supersession in the Army is not a precursor to suppressions in other institutions Like SC?” Tewari asked. Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat would be the new Army Chief and Air Marshal B.S. Dhanoa the new chief of Indian Air Force, the Defence Ministry announced on Saturday. Lt Gen. Rawat and Air Marshal Dhanoa, presently the Vice Chiefs of their respective services, will take over on December 31, when incumbents Gen. Dalbir Singh and Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha demit office on retirement from service. Bipin Rawat will take over as 26th Chief of Army Staff. Rawat is son of Lt. Gen. L S Rawat and belongs to the famous 5th Battalion of 11th Gorkha Rifles. He had joined the Battalion in January 1979 at Mizoram. Rawat also commanded a brigade in counter-insurgency area and another one in United Nations peacekeeping mission in Congo, in Central Africa. Born in Pauri Garhwal, Uttrakhand, he has authored numerous articles on ‘National Security’ and ‘Leadership’. Rawat has also completed his research on military media strategic studies. He was awarded Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph. d) from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut in 2011.