Among the first to attack Gen Rawat, was former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh. "I agree General Saheb, but also leaders are not those who allow their followers to indulge in genocide of communal violence. Do you agree with me General Saheb?" Digvijaya SIngh tweeted.
While not alluding specifically to the ongoing protests over the CAA and the NRC, Gen Rawat at an event on Thursday said, "Leaders are not those who lead people in inappropriate directions, as we are witnessing in a large number of universities, and the way they are leading masses to carry out arson and violence."
However, Singh's tweet against the army chief only resulted in netizens turning the heat on the Congress and reminded the party of its role in anti-Sikh riots of 1984.
However, Congress leader Manish Tiwari said, "Since when have the army chief's started commenting about internal affairs? It undermines the civil-military relations whose cornerstone is that the armed forces neither comment nor interfere in domestic politics. It has been our singular success since 1947."
"Army Chief Bipin Rawat speaking against #CAAProtests is wholly against constitutional democracy. If the army chief is allowed to speak on political issues today, it also permits him to attempt an army takeover tomorrow!!" - tweeted Brijesh Kalappa, a Congress spokesperson.
( With inputs from IANS )