In India, army chiefs can’t speak truth under Hindutva regime
Islamabad: Under Narendra Modi’s regime in India, even a respected former Army Chief like General M M Naravane is silenced and helpless.
According to Kashmir Media Service,, revealing uncomfortable truths about the 2020 Ladakh standoff, Agnipath’s abrupt imposition, and border mismanagement, remains blocked by the Defence Ministry’s endless “security clearances” since 2023-24.
During the 2020 Ladakh standoff, Gen. Naravane was denied clear orders from the Modi government; Army readiness clashed with political indecision, exposing leadership disconnect at the highest level.
Gen. Naravane made urgent calls to the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen. Bipin Rawat, and External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar, asking: “What are my orders?” His orders were not to open fire “till cleared from the very top.”
The disconnect between the Indian Army and the Modi government was starkly exposed. As Chinese tanks advanced dangerously close to Indian positions, Army Chief Gen. Naravane urgently sought clear operational orders.
Despite repeated calls to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, NSA Ajit Doval, CDS Bipin Rawat, and EAM Jaishankar, he was instructed not to open fire without approval “from the very top.”
Political hesitation left the Army caught between battlefield urgency and bureaucratic indecision.
Only hours later, a vague directive “Jo uchitsamjho, woh karo” highlighted strategic confusion and civil-military misalignment.
When Rahul Gandhi rose in Lok Sabha, lower house of Indian parliament, to highlight these suppressed facts on February 2, 2026, Modi’s ministers Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah orchestrated chaos and got the House adjourned.
This exposes Modi’s fear of truth, muzzling veterans to protect his image of infallible nationalism.
