GONIKOPPA, KARNATAKA: Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat today said any army in the world should be ready for a conflict and so was Indian Armed forces that was always ready for a combat.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of unveiling the statue of Field Marshal K M Cariappa here, he said any statement by China about its preparedness for war was not new, and the Indian Army, during peacetime or otherwise, is always trained for a war.
”Any army has to be prepared for a conflict and that is the task of every armed force. There is nothing new in anybody saying this, I also have to keep preparing. We cannot say it is peace time, (but) we all keep preparing for any eventuality and there is nothing new in that.” he said.
Earlier, Gen Rawat, after unveiling the statue of Kodandera Madappa Cariappa, who was the first Indian commander-in-chief (C-in-C) of the Indian Army, recommended him for Bharat Ratna.
”It is time we honour Field Marshal K M Cariappa with Bharat Ratna,” he said after unveiling the statues of Field Marshal Cariappa and Padma Bhushan and Distinguished Service Order (DSO) awardee General Kodendera Subayya Thimayya, at Cauvery College in this hilly district of Kodagu.
”There is no reason why Gen. Cariappa should not get Bharat Ratna, while other gets it. He is a well deserving personality and should not be denied the highest order, Gen Rawat said to the applause of thousands of Kodavas who assembled at the colourful ceremony.
The Coffee District of Kodagu has been known to send brave army men including two Generals and even today youth from this district are one of the highest in numbers to join the Indian armed forces, mainly in the official ranks, across the country.
Field Marshal Cariappa led Indian forces on the Western Front during the 1947 Indo-Pakistani War. He is one of the two Indian Army officers to hold the five-star rank of field marshal and was appointed commander-in-chief of the Indian Army in 1949.
He died on May 15, 1993 at the age of 94 at Bangalore Command Hospital where he had been receiving treatment for a few years. He is is survived by son Air Marshal K C Cariappa, who was a Squadron Leader during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War and survived as a prisoner.
(AGENCIES)
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