Gen Rawat's remarks wrong: Ex-Navy chief L Ramdas

Chennai: Former Navy Chief Admiral L Ramdas termed as "wrong" Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat's remarks against the nationwide protests over the new citizenship law, saying people in the armed forces must follow the decades-old principle of serving the country and not any political forces.

Ramdas said all the three services have an internal code prescribing that they must be neutral and not partisan, adding that these rules have been the bedrock of the armed forces for decades. "The rule is very clear that we are serving the country and not the political forces and to express any political views as we have heard today are quite a wrong thing for any serving personnel whether he is the top gun or at the bottom rank. It is not proper," Ramdas told PTI.

Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat criticised people leading violent protests over the new citizenship law, saying leadership is not about guiding masses including students to carry out arson and violence, remarks that drew sharp reactions from opposition leaders.