The Ministry of Defence (MoD) Spokesperson Swarnashree Rao Rajashekar has been asked to go on leave after she posted a tweet on Friday, 26 October, in which she attacked former Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash.
The Defence Ministry announced in a tweet that Colonel Aman Anand had taken over as the acting official spokesperson of the Ministry after Rajashekhar proceeded on leave.
The conflict sparked when the Rajashekhar, the MoD responded to Admiral Prakash's tweet over the usage of ornaments of defence services.
When the former Navy chief said that person misusing Army Command's insignia needed to be reprimanded, the Principal Spokesperson for the Ministry, Swarnashree Rao Rajashekar tweeted:
“What about misuse of jawans (soldiers) in your residence during an officer’s tenure sir? And how about children being picked up and dropped to school in Fauji gaadis (military vehicles)? Not to forget Madam’s shopping expedition on government vehicles. And endless parties...who pays for that?”Defence Spokesperson
People Lash Out Against Rajashekhar’s Tweet, Prakash Responds
The defence spokesperson later deleted the tweet and issued a clarification that said, "The tweet was inadvertently done and the same is deeply regretted please."
But it was too late. The backlash that followed included some defence officers lashing out at the spokesperson.
However, despite the severe backlash that the spokersperson received, Admiral Prakash responded to the outrage urging people to not get excited about the indiscreet tweet and instead dwell on other matters.
Admiral Prakash retweeted a picture which showed the Internal Financial Advisor to the Western Command of the Army had a flag on the bonnet of an official car. And as reported in The Print, civilian officers do not have the privilege of military rank flags.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)