General Manoj Mukund Naravane (now retired) was having a relaxed day at home that morning in February when frantic calls from friends shook him out of oblivion. Little did he know that a political storm was brewing over what he had said and written in his yet-to-be published book: Four Stars of Destiny.
He had, according to reports, seemed to suggest that the government had kind of abandoned him; handed him a “hot potato”; wasted well over an hour to take a decision even as the enemy was at the doorstep in Galwan and finally said: “Jo uchit samjho karo” (do what you think is right).
It was none other than Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi who attempted to quote excerpts from Naravane’s book even as he rose to speak in parliament: “This is from a memoir of Army Chief Naravane… about when four Chinese tanks were entering Indian territory, they were digging a ridge in Doklam…”
Even as the government objected and said that quoting from an unpublished book in parliament was against the rules, Gandhi flagged a copy of the General’s book outside parliament.
For the uninitiated, the General’s book reveals that the political leadership procrastinated when permission was sought to fire artillery rounds on the Chinese troops that were fast advancing in 2020. This was because clearance was needed from the top to open fire. And when the orders came, after well over an hour, Naravane was told to do what he deemed fit. He is reported to have written that he was handed a “hot potato” that, Gandhi said, was akin to the government abdicating responsibility.
Irrespective, both the book and remarks became controversial even as the government questioned the authenticity of its contents. The book has yet to see the light of the day given that it is pending clearance from the Ministry of Defence.
Naravane said nothing then even as the political slugfest continued. He has now spoken out in what seems to be giving a clean chit to the government, stating that the government had backed him fully. Many see this as a U-turn while others call it clearing the air.
But why now and not then? Not then because “people can say what they want. It is no skin off my back. I am not obliged to speak on everything that happens. Anybody can think what they want or quote any author which does not mean everyone has to respond to those comments. I don’t need to explain anything to anyone. I have done what I needed to do as an Army chief,” Naravane said in a tell-all interview to a national daily recently, underlining the need to keep armed forces out of political controversies.
He also did not rule out the possibility of hacking given that copies had gone out to the defence ministry for a review. Given that possibility, Naravane said that it is “equally possible to change the words in the manuscript”. However, he would not say that he was misquoted. Rather he put it as “misinterpreting” what was said and what was implied, so to speak.
General Naravane does not seem to be unduly perturbed about the “delay” and the time taken for clearance. “My book is maturing like fine wine,” he said even while sounding optimistic that it will definitely see the light of the day. “Hope is eternal,” he said.
Contradicting the perception that he and the Army were abandoned by the government, Naravane said: “The government has come out whole heartedly in my support,” saying that crucial decisions do take time.
On the “jo uchit samjho karo” and the government allegedly shirking responsibility, Naravane said it was an incorrect interpretation. Rather he saw it as an “operational freedom” that is given. Read a free hand. “It lies on the Chief to take a decision. So, in that sense the buck stops with you. And there is a term for this which is the loneliness of command. The person at the top is always lonely. This is not the same as being abandoned,” he said.
On precious time being lost and the unnecessary delay on the part of the government, the general said: “When situations are unfolding, there has to be a space between a situation developing and the decision and that can vary, and in critical situations, it could be instant, but in an evolving situation it could depend on many factors that have to be borne in mind and deliberations and consultations are in order. In such cases more time is required.”
On his part, nitpicking over whether the government took hours or minutes is futile. “As long as the orders came in time and we were able to respond is important. So, let us look at the end result rather than scrutinizing the process. No point in hair splitting on whether it was an hour or 25 minutes,” Naravane said.
On whether that one hour was critical, he said: “Every minute is critical, but no point in getting bogged down over minutes or hours. Just look at the outcome.”
One book has been shelved, but another is on the way: The Curious and the Classified which is a compilation of what is known and what is not about the men in uniform. There is the story about dhai murty; the myth about the captain going down with the ship as also the concept of do botal teen glass (two bottles three glasses).
But the takeaway was about the General distinguishing the salute from a salaam. “A salute is not subservience. There is a difference between a salute and a salaam. You salute with your chest out and do not kowtow to anyone. But a salaam is people bowing reverentially signifying that I am below you while a salute underlines equality and not subordination,” he said.
The General is not done yet. Taking his transformation from the gun to the pen, as it were, he looks forward to writing at least one book a year.
—The writer is an author, journalist and political commentator
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