How exactly should national interest be enforced? This question raised a political storm on Thursday, as sharp differences emerged between senior government and Opposition leaders over just what was the answer. While the Centre whole-heartedly welcomed the Army Chief’s statement, senior Opposition leaders struck a discordant note.
The issue came to the fore with Army Chief’s Bipin Rawat’s statement on Wednesday. In an interaction with the media, General Rawat stated that “tough action” was needed against those who continued to hinder anti-terror operations in the Valley, saying those who did so should be considered anti-national. His statement came after a recent incident in which three soldiers faced heavy stone-pelting in north Kashmir just when they were about to launch an operation against militants holed up there.
Speaking to the media, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said there could be no compromise against those who worked against the national interest. “Whatever the Army Chief has said, he has said in the national interest… There is nothing wrong in the Army Chief’s statement,” Rijiju said. “There should be action against the stone pelters as whoever works against the national interest, as national interest is supreme.”
