Karnataka elections: PM Modi digs into history to claim Congress insulted Army

Not just this, after the surgical strikes, the present Army chief... a senior Congress leader went to the extent of calling him a gunda,” Modi said.

In this photo tweeted from the handle @narendramodi, the Prime Minister campaigns in Bellary Thursday with the district’s BJP candidates. Bellary City candidate G Somashekara Reddy is to the PM’s right (left in frame).

Mounting an attack on the Congress at an election rally Thursday in Kalaburgi, Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “1948 mein Pakistan se yudh jeeta… General Thimayyaji ke netritv mein. Lekin us parakram ke baad, Kashmir ko bachane waale General Thimayya ka us samay ke Pradhan Mantri Nehru, aur us samay ke Raksha Mantri Krishna Menon ne baar baar apmaan kiya tha. Aur isi kaaran, General Thimayya ko apne pad se samman ke khatir isteefa dena pada thaa.”(In 1948, it was under… General Thimayya’s leadership that the war against Pakistan was won. But after that victory, the saviour of Kashmir, General Thimayya was repeatedly insulted by then Prime Minister Nehru and then Defence Minister Krishna Menon. And it was for this reason, his honour that General Thimayya had to resign from his post).

Modi said, “Bharat aur China ki ghatna aaj bhi itihas ki twarikhon mein darz hai… aur unke saath, Field Marshal Cariappa ke saath kya vyavhaar kiya gaya (the India-China incident is recorded in history… and with Field Marshal Cariappa, what kind of behaviour was on display)”.

“Itna hi nahi, surgical strike ke baad, hamare vartamaan sena nayak… Congress ke ek varishth neta, unhone yahan tak keh diya ki yeh to gunday hain, gunday hain (Not just this, after the surgical strikes, the present Army chief… a senior Congress leader went to the extent of calling him a gunda),” Modi said.

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V K Krishna Menon, who was India’s High Commissioner to London from 1947 to 1952 and Defence Minister from 1957 till he had to resign in the wake of the Indian rout in the 1962 war with China, had a testy relationship with K S Thimayya who offered his resignation as Army chief to Nehru in 1959. Nehru refused to accept his resignation and persuaded him into withdrawing it.

Thimayya was involved in the 1948 Kashmir war after he was appointed as GOC of Jammu and Kashmir Force (later 19 Infantry Division) by K M Cariappa, who was then the Western Army Commander. Having moved Stuart light tanks of the 7th Light Cavalry to a high altitude area in a feat of military innovation and daring, Thimayya personally led the surprise attack on Zoji La on November 1, 1948, successfully driving out tribal raiders and Pakistan Army regulars.

He was then appointed by Nehru in 1953 to head the United Nations’ Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission in Korea, a prestigious appointment. Thimayya’s performance earned a lot of praise, and as a Lt General in 1954, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan for civil service at the recommendation of the Congress government.

In 1957, Thimayya was selected by Nehru as Army chief, after superseding two officers senior to him, Lt Generals Sant Singh and Kulwant Singh. He served as the Army chief until 1961, retiring 15 months before the 1962 war. In July 1964, he was appointed Commander of UN Forces in Cyprus where he died in December 1965.

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Cariappa had retired as Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army in 1953. In 1949, he had been made the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army by the Nehru government.

Immediately after his retirement, he was appointed as High Commissioner to Australia and New Zealand where he served until 1956. In April 1986, Cariappa was conferred the rank of Field Marshal, the second officer to be bestowed with that honour after Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, by the Congress government headed by Rajiv Gandhi.

Last year, former Congress MP Sandeep Dikshit had told a news agency that “Pakistan ek hi cheez kar sakta hai ki is tarah ki ool-julool cheezein karey, bayanbazi kare. Kharab tab lagta hai jab humare Army chief sadak ke gunde ki tarah bayan dete hain. Pakistan ko dene hain to dein, woh to hain hi aise (Pakistan can do only one thing… it gives such ridiculous statements. But we feel bad when our Army chief uses the language of a street goon. Pakistan can give whatever statement it wants to, they are like that only).”

Dikshit later apologised for his statement and withdrew it, calling it wrong. Rahul Gandhi had rebuked Dikshit, calling his remarks wrong: “Ye bilkul galat hai, Army chief ke baare mein rajnitik logon ko comment karne ki zaroorat nahi hai (This is totally wrong. There is no need for politicians to comment on the Army chief).”