'...how do we connect with the common man and build confidence in him so that he can stay away from all this. Now this is both an administrative measure as well as it depends on the elected leaders out there at various levels,' Army Chief Gen VK Singh had said.
Congress today said it was for the government to take congnisance about Army chief Gen VK Singh's comments that appeared to be critical of the political leadership in dealing with the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
"If at anyone has to take congnisance, the matter is in the purview of the government," Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari told reporters in New Delhi.
Singh said yesterday, "so far as the army is concerned, I think as security forces, a lot of work has been done. The situation has been brought to a particular level when other initiatives should have started to make way for betterment."
Asked whether the army was deployed as a deterrent to curb the violence, he said, "I think there was a sort of loss of confidence and they thought that army should be seen more prominently. Probably that is what... We said yes (to the deployment) as we are as much concerned as anyone else... The army is already there. It is already carrying out (operations) with the CRPF, with the police in conjunction with the state. So we are there for various things and we are helping them," Singh said.
Elaborating on the steps required, Singh said, "First of all, there has to be concerted efforts to identify the miscreants... There are few. There are people who are passing instructions on phone. They have to be identified. There are people financing the protests. They must be identified. After that, starts how do we connect with the common man and build confidence in him so that he can stay away from all this. Now this is both an administrative measure as well as it depends on the elected leaders out there at various levels."
Expressing concern over the army chief's statement, a senior Congress leader, who requested anonymity, said that in a democracy, it is the right of every military commander to give his free and frank opinion to the civilian leadership but this needed to be done "privately and discreetly".
The leader said the supremacy of the civilian authority is paramount and there cannot be any compromise on that.
Noting that there have always been consultations between the military commanders and the civilian leadership at various levels, the leader differed with the perception of the Army Chief as regards the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, saying it was "far more complex".
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