Author: Press Trust of India
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: August 26, 2011
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/its-power-of-the-people-army-chief/837513/0
Army chief General V K Singh has said that
the support the anti-corruption movement is getting in the country is an indication
of the power of democracy and of the people.
"We are passing through an interesting
and turbulent period. Interesting in terms of how we are witnessing the power
of democracy, the power of the people. Interesting in terms of how we are
seeing our leadership cope up with these things...," he said at an interaction
with members of the entertainment industry, organised by former MP Santosh
Bhartiya, in Mumbai on Wednesday night.
"A lot of things are happening, from
Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Gujarat to the most north-eastern part. There
is a certain amount of unrest in the country, for various reasons - some sponsored,
some genuine (and) some which started with genuine thing and then got into
something else," he said.
"The theme is only one - how do we take
the nation forward from the morass that we are in.... It is not who is leading
the movement but it is why it has come to this stage."
General Singh equated corruption to a hydra-headed
monster. "Because we all are involved in its thriving. If we introspect,
we will see that at one point or another, we are all involved in it,"
he said.
"When the Naxalite movement (issue) was
presented to us, we were very clear in our minds that it is a socio-economic
problem, a problem created by bad governance," he said. "Army is
not the answer (to Naxal problem)... Army has a role in preventing external
aggression. Army has a role in assisting in humanitarian crisis."
"But beyond that, in our country, at
least the way the Army has come up, we do not think that we have a role,"
he said.
