General Naravane reveals meaning of 'jo uchit samjho woh karo' remark in his book

Weeks after his unpublished memoir stirred a storm in Parliament, former Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane opened up on the controversy and decoded the meaning behind the "jo uchit samjho, woh karo" (do whatever you deem appropriate) remark that was allegedly conveyed to him by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during the border dispute with China. In an exclusive interview with India Today, his first since the row, General Naravane said the remark showed the government's "total faith" in the armed forces, and there should be no politics over it.

General Naravane underlined that the armed forces were given a "free hand" to respond to the situation on the ground. "Jo uchit samjho woh karo shows the government had total faith in the armed forces. There should be no politics on the subject," he said.

"It basically shows the great confidence the government had in the army, its hierarchy, and the service chiefs. They knew that whatever decision was taken would be made while keeping all factors in mind," he elaborated.

General Naravane, who served as the army chief between 2019-2022, also cautioned against politicising the military.

"Armed forces are totally apolitical, unlike in our neighbourhood," General Naravane said, taking a veiled dig at Pakistan. It is no secret that the military calls the shots in Pakistan, and more often than not, overpowers the civilian leadership.

WHAT IS THE CONTROVERSY?

The controversy erupted in February during the Budget session of Parliament when Congress MP Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote from the unpublished memoir, 'Four Stars of Destiny'. However, Gandhi was stopped by the Speaker as the book had not been published yet.

However, Gandhi did not stop there. He was seen bringing a copy of the book to the Parliament premises during the remainder of the session.

At the heart of the controversy lies the "jo uchit samjho, woh karo" message that was allegedly conveyed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to General Naravane from PM Modi during the border standoff.

Citing excerpts from the book, Gandhi had claimed the former Army Chief informed Rajnath Singh and others about "Chinese tanks approaching". However, Gandhi claimed Naravane received no direct reply for a long time.

"The PM's message conveyed to him was, 'jo uchit samjho, woh karo'," Gandhi said. "This means Narendra Modi did not fulfil his responsibility... The army chief clearly said in this (book) that he felt alone and was abandoned by the entire establishment," Gandhi further claimed.

The incident happened on August 31, 2020, as the Chinese military advanced towards Rechin La.

The book was supposed to be released in 2024 by Penguin. But its launch was halted. It is currently pending approval with the Ministry of Defence.

General Naravane, in the interview with India Today, said the publisher was in touch with the government on the publication of the book.

'NOT BASED ON CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS'

The book chronicles General Naravane's career and offers insights into military leadership, including during key operations like the border standoff with China.

In the interview, the former army chief stressed that the memoir reflected his personal perspective and was not based on any "classified documents".

On the border standoff with China, General Naravane maintained that India held the upper hand. He pointed out that the world saw how China dismantled its own fortifications and pulled back troops in certain areas.

"India dominated the situation along the LAC. The world saw China destroy their fortifications and move back," General Naravane said. Rejecting claims by the opposition that India lost territory, he stated firmly that "no territory was ceded".

The former army chief underscored that there was close coordination between the government and the armed forces during the border tensions, highlighting that decisions were taken jointly.