“Jo Ucchit Samjho”: What Rajnath Singh Told the Former Army Chief

On August 31, 2020, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh gave then Army Chief Gen MM Naravane the order, “Jo ucchit samjho woh karo” (Do whatever you deem appropriate), in response to a tense situation resulting from Chinese PLA moving tanks and troops in Rechin La mountain pass on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

Naravane, in his biography ‘Four Stars of Destiny’, describes Singh’s guidance and the series of phone conversations that evening on the delicate situation between the chief of defence staff, the minister of defence, the minister of external affairs, and the national security advisor.

Naravane claims that a hundred different ideas “flashed through” his head following Singh’s call. “I informed the RM of how urgent the situation was,who said he would get back to me, which he did, by about 2230 hours,” writes Naravane.”

“He claimed to have discussed it with the Prime Minister and that it was solely a military choice. “Jo ucchit samjho woh karo” (Accomplish whatever you think is right).

“Someone had given me a spicy potato. Now that I had this free rein, the entire burden rested on me. I inhaled deeply and sat for a while without saying anything. The only sound in the room was the wall clock ticking,” he claims.

“I was in my den in Army House, with Eastern Command on one wall and the map of J, K, and Ladakh on another. Despite the fact that the maps were blank, I was still able to see where every single unit and formation was. In every way, we were prepared, but did  I really want to start a war?” he writes.
What Was His Thought Process
In the memoir, Gen Naravane reflects on his thought process that night.

What Was His Thought Process

In the memoir, Gen Naravane reflects on his thought process that night.
“The nation was in dire straits, suffering from the Covid-19 pandemic. There was a collapse in global supply chains and the economy was in decline. In the event of a protracted action, would we be able to guarantee a consistent supply of spare parts, etc., under these circumstances?” “Who were our allies on the international scene, and what about China and Pakistan’s threat of collusion? My imagination raced with a hundred distinct ideas,” he writes.

“This was no war game being played in a sand model room of the Army War College, but a life and death situation.” Naravane claims that he called Northern Army Commander Lt Gen YK Joshi following a brief period of introspection.

“I warned him that we couldn’t be the first to fire since it would provide the Chinese with an excuse, a casus belli, to escalate and paint us as the aggressors “Even at Mukhpari (on the Kailash Range) the previous day, it had been the PLA who had fired first (being only two rounds by the PLA and three rounds by us, it had escaped the attention of the media),” he writes.

Naravane says he felt that the Army should maintain this stance.

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