Never saw any Army Chief all over media: RJD

Responding to Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat's remark on schools in Jammu and Kashmir instilling wrong information into students' mind, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Sunday questioned the Army Chief's extensive media engagements, adding that the Army "used to work silently and strongly."

"Earlier, our Army used to work silently and strongly. There are times when nobody was even aware of the appearance of the Army Chief. Before this, I never saw any Army chief all over the media 24/7. I believe statements such as those made by the Army Chief should be avoided in public, as they cause severe anxiety," RJD leader Manoj Jha told ANI.

On Friday, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said schools in Jammu and Kashmir are instilling wrong information into students' mind by showing them a separate map of their state and not as one Indian map.

"In the schools in Jammu and Kashmir, what teachers are teaching should not be taught. In schools, there can be seen two maps, one of India another of Jammu and Kashmir. Why do we need a separate map for the state? What does it teach the children?" General Rawat said in a press conference here.

In retaliation, the state's education minister Altaf Bukhari on Saturday said the Army Chief should not give "sermons on education."

"The army chief is a respected officer. I do not think he is an educationist that he will give sermons on education. This being a subject on the state list, we know how to run our education system," said Bukhari.

The minister also defended the presence of two maps in the classroom.

"There are two flags in the state. We have Jammu and Kashmir constitution and India's constitution as well. Every school has a state map as it is needed to teach about the state," Bukhari argued.

--ANI