General MM Naravane's newly released memoir has ignited debate about India's command structure with a revelation that should trouble anyone concerned about the world's largest democracy managing a nuclear arsenal along a tense border with China. The five words—"Jo uchit samjho woh karo" (do what you think is right)—expose a fundamental ambiguity at the heart of India's civil-military relations.
According to analysis in ThePrint by Lt Gen H S Panag (retd), the phrase captures how political leaders delegate critical military decisions without establishing clear boundaries of authority. The context was the Rechen La operation along the contested border with China—a tactical success that simultaneously revealed strategic dysfunction.
In India, as across the subcontinent, scale and diversity make simple narratives impossible—and fascinating. The Rechen La incident represents both India's military capability and the dangerous gap between that capability and political direction. Former Army Chief Naravane's account suggests that military commanders were left to interpret vague political guidance during heightened tensions with China in eastern Ladakh.
Gen Panag argues the system exposes "a pattern where political leaders seek control without defining boundaries, leaving commanders to assume strategic responsibility." For a nuclear-armed democracy facing an assertive China along the Line of Actual Control, this ambiguity isn't academic—it's existential.
The revelation comes as India positions itself as a counterweight to Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has invested heavily in border infrastructure and military modernization since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash that killed 20 Indian soldiers. Yet Naravane's memoir suggests institutional frameworks haven't kept pace with strategic ambitions.
The five-word directive illustrates what defense analysts describe as India's long-standing civil-military disconnect. Unlike Western democracies with codified command authorities, or China's integrated party-military structure, India operates in a grey zone where constitutional supremacy of civilian leadership coexists with unclear operational mandates.
Naravane served as Army Chief from 2019 to 2022, overseeing the military's response to the Ladakh crisis. His willingness to publicly discuss command ambiguities marks a departure from India's traditionally reticent military leadership. The memoir's timing—as India faces ongoing border tensions and regional competition with China—adds weight to the institutional questions it raises.
For India's democratic institutions, the challenge is acute: how to maintain civilian control while providing military commanders the clarity needed for decisive action in crisis situations. The Rechen La operation succeeded tactically, but success despite institutional dysfunction is no substitute for systemic reform.
