Our only allegiance is to the Constitution of India, says Army chief

Naravane said the Army would safeguard the 'core values which are enshrined in the preamble to the Constitution; that is justice, liberty, equality and fraternity'

Against the backdrop of concerns over growing politicisation of the military, the new Army chief, General Manoj Naravane, has strongly asserted that the Army’s only allegiance is to the Constitution of India.

Addressing the media in Delhi in the run-up to Army Day on Wednesday, Naravane underscored the centrality of the Constitution in greater detail than any Army chief before him.

“The Army swears allegiance to the Constitution of India. Be it a jawan or an officer, you take an oath: ‘I swear by God that I will safeguard and honour the Constitution’.” Naravane was referring to an oath that recruits take