Accompanied by second-in-command in the army Chhatraman Singh Gurung, the NA chief went to the office of the president in Sital Niwas on Monday and formally introduced Gurung to President Dr ram Baran Yadav.
“He is in line to become the Chief of Army Staff,” Katawal told the president during the meeting. The top army officials held a 15-minute-talk with the president. This is the first time that the president formally met with the second-in-command in the army.
As per the NA tradition, the army chief takes leave a month prior to his formal retirement and the second-in-command takes over as the Acting Chief. During the leave, the army chief stays on at his official residence at Sashi Bhawan so that the acting chief could consult with the army chief if any difficulty arises.
Katawal is retiring on September 8.
According to the army headquarters sources, Katawal has already told the top army brass that he would be handing over his responsibility to Gurung as per the tradition.
The acting chief refrains from using the army chief’s vehicle and his official residence at Sashi Bhawan in Sanepa, but enjoys all his powers.
According Nagarik daily, the tradition of announcing new army chief in the army headquarters is interesting. Two chairs are placed in order in the chamber of the army chief. The would-be army chief sits in the first chair and the outgoing chief sits in the second one. The retiring chief congratulates the new chief and the army personnel carry the retired chief up to the door to farewell him. In the evening, the new chief throws a farewell party in honor of his predecessor.
Meanwhile, president’s personal secretary Lalit Bahadur Basnet dismissed the reports that the president has planned to appoint Katawal as his security advisor.
Related story
Customary practices causing harm to some groups and people
