KEEP POLITICS OUT
The statement by Eastern Army Commander Lieutenant General R P Kalita that there has been no fresh issue with regard to infrastructure development at Doklam in the Sikkim sector, which witnessed 73-day long standoff between Indian army and Chinese PLA in 2017. The officer has assured that in case any problem will emerge the same would be dealt locally by set Standard Operating Procedures. Lately even the minor border issues are being politicized in a big way creating confusion among the common masses. This new trend which is in vogue these days should be stopped as army and other security forces’ work should not come into public domain as this could prove detrimental in many ways because keeping secrecy in these matters is a prerequisite and when the political parties start discussing such strategically important issues in public domain things become wary, which is unwarranted. There is no doubt that defence sector in the country is the one, on which people have undaunted faith and therefore justifying each and every step which the army, air force or navy is taking by bringing the same before the country’s population is not at all necessary rather it could lead to a precarious situation, which should be avoided at all costs. The recent trend by which certain political parties are putting the security forces in the dock by raising the vital issues concerning defence matters in public domain is not at all justified as this could even demoralize the people in uniform and also bamboozle the parties in power because their attention gets diverted at times, which could lead to a disaster as far as security, integrity and sovereignty of the country is concerned. The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Eastern Command, Lt General Kalita was giving clarification on Doklam’s latest situation claiming that the aforesaid standoff was primarily a result of PLA’s attempt to construct a road in the area about which there are differing perceptions which led to 73 days of standoff and thereafter through negotiations the issue was resolved. Even in this matter the army need not to give any clarification to the people but the changing atmosphere in the country wherein political parties are raising fingers on the working of army and other security forces, the officers have to share the information. This is simply unacceptable as politics should remain away from the matters of defence.