In 2020, when China invaded India's borders at Galwan , Prime Minister Narendra Modi came up with a sterling piece of craftiness, he told General MM Naravane, the then Chief of Army Staff that he was free to retaliate in whatever manner he deemed fit. An army officer cannot unilaterally take a decision to wage war ; as the executive head, it is the PM who decides, frames the aims to be achieved and conveys the same to all three service chiefs and the CoDs for strategy and implementation. This time too he has pulled the same stunt of 'giving' the defence chiefs what he terms 'operational freedom'. The chiefs will have to shoulder the blame if India doesn't go to war against Pakistan considering the fact that it is a nuclear power with China as it's steadfast ally. The putative head of the country will shrug all responsibility and hide behind the fig leaf of having given 'operational freedom', whatever that means. It is pertinent to note that General Naravane tried to convey his side of the story through his memoirs titled 'Four Stars of Destiny' but the book still hasn't seen the light of day courtesy the government.
