New Delhi: In a last-minute surprise, the Narendra Modi government has granted a one-month extension to Army chief Gen Manoj Pande, just days before his superannuation, instead of appointing Vice Chief Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, who was the senior-most in line, to the post.
The last time such an extension was granted was in the case of former Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw when he was the Army chief for a period of six months.
However, his successor General G.G. Bewoor, as a Lt Gen, was given an extension of one year which allowed him to take over from Gen Manekshaw.
While the government has not given any reason for this unusual extension to Gen Pande, speculation is rife that it wanted to leave the decision to the next government which will be sworn in a fortnight from now.
However, ThePrint has learnt that the real reason is that the government doesn’t want to go by mere seniority in appointing the next Army chief and is looking at several names, including that of Lt Gen Dwivedi.
While Lt Gen Dwivedi was the senior-most to take over as Army chief, there were already murmurs in the corridors of power that Southern Army Commander Lt Gen Ajai Kumar Singh may emerge as a dark horse.
However, it had subsided after Lt Gen Dwivedi was appointed as the Vice Chief in February this year.
This was because, this appointment of the senior most Lieutenant General after Gen Manoj Pande as Vice Chief was seen as a natural progression.
However, it was quite evident in certain quarters in the government over the last few days that Lt Gen Dwivedi is unlikely to be announced as the Army chief.
While Lt Gen Singh is now seen as a strong contender, both officers retire on the same day, that is 30 June, when the extension of the Army chief comes to an end.
Both of them are from the same batch of IMA and though Lt Gen Dwivedi is senior by merit rank per Army rules, Lt Gen Singh is senior to him in age by a few weeks.
Any one of them could still be appointed as the Army chief. Like in the case of former IAF chief Air Chief marshal R.K.S. Bhaduria who was appointed on the day he was to retire, another contender has come into play – the Central Army Commander Lt Gen N.S. Raja Subramani.
“With the extension, one thing is very clear, the government wants to choose its Army chief based on merit,” a source said, pointing out that Navy chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi was appointed the day voting was held for the first phase of the ongoing general election – 19 April.
“So to think that elections and model code of conduct had a role to play in extension given to the Army chief would be naïve,” the source added.
As reported by ThePrint earlier, the government is already working on the assumption that it is coming back to power and directions were issued to the military accordingly with regard to modernisation planned over the next one year.
Sources pointed out that Lt Gen Subramani comes with key operation and staff experience with a special focus on China, besides of course Pakistan.
Commissioned into the Garhwal Rifles in 1985, he had commanded a battalion during ‘Operation Rhino’, an Infantry Brigade along the International Boundary and the Black Cat Division in Eastern Command.
He also commanded the Uttar Bharat Area in 2020 and the Pakistan focussed Kharga Strike Corps at Ambala.
In his Staff Appointment, he has been Brigade Major of a Mountain Brigade, Assistant Military Secretary in the Military Secretary Branch, Colonel General Staff at Headquarters Eastern Command, Deputy Director General of Military Intelligence in the Integrated Headquarters of MoD, Brigadier General Staff in Eastern Command and Chief of Staff at Headquarters Northern Command among others.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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More common in the bureaucracy. Officers appointed to posts carrying fixed two year terms, on the verge of retirement. Followed by extensions. Two cabinet secretaries in a decade.