Is This Language That Can Be Expected From a Former Chief of Army Staff?

CHANDIGARH: The video has gone viral with defence personnel raising eyebrows, shrugging shoulders, or actually decrying the politics that has driven a former Chief of Army Staff to use language that violates all norms of decent behaviour.

General J.J.Singh who has jumped into the fray as a candidate of the Akali Dal to oppose Captain Amarinder Singh in the forthcoming Assembly elections in Punjab shocked even hard boiled journalists with his choice of language at a meeting with his supporters two days ago. Liberally using choice abuse against the Captain, the former Army Chief then went on to justify it with a “they did it first” argument that has not cut ice with even his former colleagues.



The video clip that is being circulated widely has drawn a quiet, “this was not expected” rejoined from the Congress leader.

The general is purportedly discussing election strategy with his supporters lacing even the one sentence with hard Punjabi swear words, warning his opponent that he better fight straight or he would be knocked out. “Je jittna haid taan sidhe tareee naal jitto, je thudda maar ke jittna hai te aapan knock out kar deyenge” said General Singh clearly looking upon the election field as a battlefield clearly. As he said a little later himself, “jang ke maidan vich uttre ho te jitt honi chayidi.” Basically if one has jumped into the warfield, then victory is essential. And again that while some mercy is shown on a battlefield, here no such concession should be made.

The General in his remarks to his supporters went on to say in Punjabi and abuse words, that if the opponent hit below the belt then “khatam hee karo, without pity, bereham without remorse, aur phir joi guilt vee nahin.” (then finish him without pity, or remorse and without guilt.)

In fact the words were so ‘remorseless’ that one of the persons listening to him stands up to point out that this kind of language was not befitting a person who had held the high positions of Governor and Army Chief. To this General Singh, and candidate for the forthcoming polls from Patiala, responded, that his emotions and views should not be insulted. That he was responding to Amarinder Singh’s ‘nani yaad kar denge” asking whether this was a good thing to have said. He again reiterated, “I follow Cain and Abel. If anyone hits me below the bel I will knock him out.” The general also reminded the questioner that in the US elections, Trump had won going on to add that Amarinder Singh will have to face the consequences of defeat too. “Mein to chakke chura deyanga” he warned telling the gentleman who had raised the objections that this talk of “shobha shobha” amounts to nothing.

It might be recalled tha General Jogingder Jaswant Singh was the Indian Army Chief from January 31 2005 till September 30, 2007. He went on to become the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh after retirement. His political opponent, erstwhile Maharaja of Patiala Captain Amarinder Singh joined the Indian Army in June 1963 and resigned in early 1965. He rejoined the Army again and served as Captain during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war.