New Delhi, December 27: A day after political row erupted over Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Bipin Rawat’s remarks on student’s participating in protests, former Army Chief and union minister General (Retd.) Vijay Kumar Singh on Friday came out in his support. The union minister said that he did not see any politics in Gen Rawat’s statement. Indian Army Defends General Bipin Rawat’s Remark on Students’ Protest, Veterans and Opposition Rebuke.

"I don't see any politics in it," reported NDTV quoting the former Army Chief as saying, Singh also asked the media to not take Gen Rawat’s remarks out of context. Gen (R) Singh further added that asking students not to be violent while protesting is not a political statement.

The union minister said, “In our great country, the opposition can turn anything into a controversy. The ideal would have been to see the statement into context in which Army Chief has said a particular thing. Ask him what he meant.” He added, “If I tell students don't unnecessarily damage property, is it politics? Search your heart and ask this question. Cross-check with Army Chief and in what context he might have said it. Why Citizenship Amendment Act+NRC Raise Fear And Concerns: A Multi-Dimensional Take.

On Thursday, sources within the Indian Army also defended the COAS’s statement. Speaking at a healthcare leadership summit in New Delhi, The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) said that leaders are not those who lead people in inappropriate directions. General Rawat had said, “As we are witnessing in a large number of universities and colleges, students the way they are leading masses and crowds to carry out arson and violence in cities and towns. This is not leadership.”

However, the Army chief’s statement drew flak from the opposition. Responding to Gen Rawat’s statement All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) lawmaker Asaduddin Owaisi said that the Army chief should know the limitation of the institution he heads.

Nation-wide protests erupted after the Citizenship Amendment Bill was passed in Rajya Sabha on December 11. The protests intensified after action by Delhi police action inside the Jamia Millia Islamia University after the student’s demonstration turned violent.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 27, 2019 05:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).