Former Army chief General VK Singh, who joined BJP after losing a long-drawn legal battle over his age issue in 2014, and went on to become a Union minister of state, is in the line of fire again. Photos of the retired Army chief showing him donning the uniform of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) are drawing him some heavy criticism.

Though many argue that it is the retired General’s personal choice to don RSS uniform after nearly 42-year military career, as the organisation is not a banned outfit, others view it as a blatant betrayal of core values and traditions of the Army, which clearly are in conflict with the RSS’s ideology. It is also being apprehended that such a precedent may give a push to majoritarian nationalism in defence forces.

Pertinently, a video of Colonel Saurabh Singh Shekhawat, one of the most decorated serving army officers, that was recently shared by Raghu Raman, an ex-army man, showed Shekhawat proudly talking about secular ethos of the Army. At the end of the video he was heard saying that “if we apply this template in the country, most of the problems will be solved.”