Spat between IAF Chief and CDS Bipin Rawat accelerates

IAF Chief rejected CDS Bipin Rawat's views that IAF remains a supporting arm

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - The bitter spat within the Indian armed forces has accelerated with the Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria rejecting Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat’s views that the IAF remains a supporting arm just as artillery or engineers support the fighting forces.

According to Indian media, IAF Chief reiterated that Airforce has not a supporting role alone as air power has a huge role to play. In any of the integrated battle areas, it’s not an issue of support alone a whole lot of things go into any air plan that’s made.

Responding to statement of Bipin Rawat, whose appointment is considered political by most sectors of the society, IAF’s RKS Bhadauria said he would not like to go to the media and describe what his concerns are, what the Air Force has said or what somebody else has said.

Earlier, Bipin Rawat had made a controversial statement and said “Do not forget the IAF continues to remain a supporting arm just as artillery support or engineers support the combatant arm in the Army. They will be a supporting arm."