In the first interview by a former service chief after the Covid-19 crisis and lockdown began, former Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash has spoken out boldly on many pressing issues. In a 25 mt interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire he has answered questions about whether last Sunday’s flypasts and petal-showering were the best way of honouring Corona warriors, about the Chief of Defence Staff’s press conference, about comments made by the GOC-in-C 15th Corps and DGP Jammu and Kashmir that Pakistan is pushing Covid-19 infected people into India and, most importantly, on how the armed services and Navy, in particular, must respond to the financial crisis facing India which is likely to lead to drastic cuts in the military’s capital expenditure budgets. Admiral Prakash also says India cannot afford enemies on two fronts and must follow Chanakya’s advice and make peace on one front. He says China is India’s main adversary and it would make sense to come to terms with China.
