“From One Rank One Pension (OROP) to the 7th Pay Commission and downgrading of Army ranks, the personnel and ex-servicemen had, time and again, been humiliated by the defence ministry headed by Parrikar,” Amarinder said, adding that Parrikar’s comments on the appointment of the Army chief were virtually the last straw.

“If Parrikar can’t keep his mouth shut on such matters, it’s time the PM chooses a man fit enough to look after our services that are the last bastion of stability, secularism, and in whom the country across the board takes pride,” Amarinder earlier wrote in a Facebook post.

Noting that an ill-informed defence minister was a dangerous thing to have, the Congress leader said Parrikar should be aware that the services function on rank structure that indicated seniority and was customary in the services to be maintained.

Referring to Parrikar’s comment that intelligence inputs were also considered while taking the decision on the appointment of the Army chief, Amarinder asked if that meant that Gen Bakshi and Gen Hariz also had some aspersions cast on them by the intelligence inputs. He pointed out that both were outstanding Army commanders and soldiers of repute and “these foolish off the cuff remarks were an insult” to them.