Can not accept forced donation from anyone: Indian Army on ‘ADHM’ controversy

Politician Raj Thackeray and his party Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) lifted the ban on Karan Johar’s ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ after Johar promised to donate a part of the profit to Army Welfare Fund. At the same time, Film & Television Producers Guild of India president Mukesh Bhatt promised that producers of all films featuring Pakistani artistes would be donating Rs 5 crore to the fund.

However, Indian Army is not at all in terms with this decision and calls it a ‘penance’.

Senior Army personnels opposed the idea of forced donation and said that the Army fund was open to anyone for donation but it should always be voluntary; and Indian Army’s name should not be dragged into a political controversy because it is an ‘apolitical and secular organisation’.

“Anyone can contribute to the fund but it has to be voluntary. You can’t force people to make donations and the army wouldn’t like to accept such money,” a senior officer at the Army headquarters told a leading daily.

“If something is wrong, it is wrong. How can a forced donation of Rs 5 crore make it right? But the bottomline is the army’s name should not be misused for political gain,” said Brigadier Kushal Thakur of Kargil war fame.

“The army doesn’t go around begging for funds. If a film producer wants to donate, he can do it like any other Indian citizen. But it’s unacceptable in such a manner. Let’s keep the army out of politics. We have stayed that way and would like to stay that way,” former northern army commander Lieutenant General BS Jaswal was quoted saying.

Is this going to stir the problems yet again? Let us wait and watch!

Ranjini Maitra

Journalist. Writer. Reader. Enthu cutlet. Mood-swing machine. Day dreamer. Sandwiched between ‘live life fully’ and ‘lose some weight’. Mantra of life: Love and love more.