Sack Army chief: Cong MP writes to Prez

Congress MP T N Prathapan has shot off a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind urging him to sack Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat for his critical comments against the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act anti-CAA) protests.

In the letter sent on Friday, Prathapan said Gen Rawat has made a "very unacceptable public comment" against the civil society and the political leadership, who are expressing their concern over the contentious CAA.

Rawat had last week said, "leaders are not those who lead people in inappropriate directions, as we are witnessing in a large number of university and college students, the way they are leading masses of crowds to carry out arson and violence in our cities and towns. This is not leadership. A leader is one person who leads you in the correct direction. It gives you the right advice and then ensures that you care for the people you live.”

The Army chief's comment had attracted criticism from the Opposition and a section of military veterans for the political overtones of his statement.

Describing the CAA 2019 as "nothing less than a legalised celebration of fascist forces in a systematically dehumanising and discriminating Muslim population of India," Prathapan said the move was against the idea of India and the salient features of the Constitution.

"Rawat has crossed all limits and gave his political opinion on behalf of a few fascist political organisations of the country, which is nothing less than grave disciplinary latches and violation of code of conduct and various defence service regulations," he said in the letter.

He said the President should "immediately withdraw the service of Gen Bipin Rawat from the post of Army chief and take serious and stringent, appropriate" disciplinary action against him.

In his letter, the Congress MP from Thrissur also cited Article 33 of the Constitution and relevant sections from Army Act 1950, Navy Act 1957 and Defence Service Regulations for Air Force.