AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday criticized the Narendra Modi government over the extension of Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande's tenure, arguing that such a move during elections is undesirable. In a post on the social media platform X, Owaisi emphasized that the armed forces should remain apolitical and not be used by the ruling party for electoral purposes.
The government extended Gen Pande's tenure by one month, allowing him to serve as Army Chief until June 30, a rare and unusual decision made amidst the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. Gen Pande was initially scheduled to retire on May 31.
Owaisi, the Hyderabad MP, stated, "The extension of the serving army chief #COAS during the election campaign, days before he was to retire, is not desirable. The @narendramodi government was well aware of his date of retirement and should have announced a replacement long ago."
He further remarked, "Our armed forces should be kept out of politics by the ruling party but over the last decade, we have seen the Modi regime use and misuse our soldiers for its electoral benefit. We have seen this on the China border where our soldiers are unable to patrol to the LAC."
Owaisi claimed that this recent move regarding General Pande reflects "poorly" on Prime Minister Modi, the defense minister, and all those involved in national security decision-making. "The extension given to Gen Pande for only one month indicates it is a temporary measure, highlighting a complete lack of governance in this regime. If it is not incompetence, then it must be something more sinister and conspiratorial," Owaisi alleged.
