NA spokesperson KarkiFrom the Nepali Press
Himal Khabarpatrika, 13-19 March
Nepal Army (NA) Chief Rajendra Chhetri's recent statement has created ripples in the political circle. In a press statement on the occasion of Army Day last week, he said: "The army is ready to move out of the barrack if national unity and territorial integrity is threatened."
We asked NA spokesperson Tara Bahadur Karki what the army chief's statement means.
Himal: what does the army chief's statement imply?
Karki: the army is and should always be ready to follow the government's orders and fulfill its duty as mentioned in the constitution if national unity and territorial integrity is threatened. This is what the army chief wanted to convey to the army staff.
Why did he have to say it now?
He needed to say it now to show how sensitive the current political condition is and what the army's responsibility should be in this situation.
Was it necessary for an army chief to explain the conditions in which the army is deployed?
It was a message that the army is alert and can fulfill its constitutional responsibility. He wanted to inform that the army is alert about conspiracies to disintegrate the country and is ready to foil them if needed.
But his statement angered Madhesi parties.
Some newspapers fabricated his statement. They reported that the army chief expressed his views about federal structure and boundaries. But the army chief has not said a word about these political issues.