Delivering the Gen Bipin Rawat memorial lecture in Delhi, he also said that in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call for ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’, lies an ‘opportunity for us to seek our rightful place in the emerging global security scenario’.
New Delhi: The rise of China as a dominant economic and strategic force adds complexity, creates competition, and “hampers” India’s efforts to be a natural leader for the Global South, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said on Sunday.
Delivering the Gen Bipin Rawat memorial lecture in Delhi, he also said that in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call for ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’, lies an “opportunity for us to seek our rightful place in the emerging global security scenario”.
In his address, the Army chief also made a veiled reference to the proximity between China and Pakistan, and said that today the “near absolute collusivity” has “further compounded the threat”.
On March 8, Gen Dwivedi, in a veiled reference to China and Pakistan, had said there is a “high degree of collusivity,” which must be accepted.
“What it means, as far as I am concerned, is that the two-front threat is a reality,” he had said in response to a question on the proximity between China and Pakistan.
“Can we as a nation with compelling requirements in the social sector afford to be drawn into this trap? At the same time, can we overlook the fact that we live in an extremely volatile neighbourhood? “As Gen Rawat said when you have unsettled borders to your north and west, you don’t know which side the battle will commence and where it will end. So, you should be prepared for both fronts. Today, the near absolute collusivity has further compounded the threat,” he said.
General Dwivedi said that while looking for strategic guidance for solutions in the military field, “my thoughts gravitate towards his (Gen Rawat’s) thoughts”.
The Army chief described India’s first CDS, who died in a chopper crash in 2021, as a scholar soldier and a military reformer who had an exceptional ability to envision the future.
