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Give the Armed Forces the dignity they deserve
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Men in uniform have stood by the nation in its hour of need, doing everything from defending against aggression to assisting civil power. Few people understand this unparalleled loyalty to the country where with hands bound behind the back, a soldier is at the receiving end but is even unable to protest.
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INDIA is one of the only countries from Europe to the East including Africa but excluding Japan and Australia where the Armed Forces have never thought of usurping the power of the established central authority of the nation. The British left a few good legacies in the subcontinent. Thanks to the vision of men like Field Marshal KM Cariappa and our Service Chiefs, every successor continued to salute the Flag and the Constitution and never expressed any public political view militating against this sacred equation. Men in uniform have stood by the nation in its hour of need, doing everything from defending against aggression to assisting civil power. Despite having the infrastructure every task which calls for grit and determination as at the end of the day falls on the Armed Forces. These range from floods, earthquakes, counter-insurgency, epidemics to internal strife. Name it and the last stop where the chaos and calamity has been brought to a halt has been the men in uniform. Few people understand this unparalleled loyalty to the country where with hands bound behind the back, a soldier is at the receiving end but is even unable to protest. Some of us with hindsight believe that some elements of our bureaucracy and politicians have taken the services for granted, and at times, there has been a tendency to take advantage.
The decline of the standing of the Armed Forces started when the first Service Chief, whoever he may have been, accepted a post-retirement lucrative gubernatorial assignment. There were exceptions and god bless them for having come to the conclusion that there can be no better job, in the evening of one's life, than to have been the head of one's Service in the Armed Forces who have put faith in you and looked up to you like a demi god. It is most unfortunate that a great soldier like General Thimmayya was persuaded by a man the nation worshipped, Nehru, to withdraw his resignation as the Chief and then he got pushed around. We in the Army used to say in cheaper days, that if we all contribute Re. 1 each and give it to our Chief, then never will he be bought over by anyone for any reason at the cost of the Armed Forces' dignity. The next that set us back was a very reasonable statement by a gentleman soldier Army Chief General Rodrigues, who had commented that "good governance was as much of interest to us, as others" or words to that effect. It is believed that he got a rap for it from the government and withdrew his statement and himself and then it was oblivion. Had he in his wisdom declined to withdraw his statement and stood by it, we would have held him in even greater esteem, as it would have made the government think that soldiers are not tinker-tailors to be knocked around. I mean no disrespect to that fine officer. Sometimes as good obedient human beings we relent.
Body language
By a quirk of fate I do not recall meeting or even seeing the present Army Chief General S. Padmanabhan. However, as one who follows the fortunes of a service to which I owe so much, I did follow his track record in the crucial appointments he held, while looking after his remit in Jammu and Kashmir. It was all done very quietly, in a humble way. I have only heard him twice since he occupied the chair. Once initially and then on the evening of January 11, 2002. I recorded his briefing to the media on television word for word and then did the same for the address by General Pervez Musharraf, President of Pakistan. This was done to enable me to study the body languages of both, frame by frame, in slow motion. This is what gives the complete in-depth perspective of what the man has in his heart, behind his words.
I was impressed with his restricted, sharp, incisive responses always given with a smile. I could see that the media felt at home with his easy style. To a loaded question, his response was, "I do not know and even if I know I cannot and will not tell you" or words to that effect.
He did talk but only in response to a persistent query on what if the nuclear dimension comes in, should conventional warfare force its implementation in a certain situation. The General said that any nuclear exchange in the South Asian region would lead to a "disaster" affecting Eastern and Western oil supplies and regions in Central South Asia and create a hue and cry. He went on to say that nuclear weapons were not meant for fighting. It would be foolish even to think of it. He made it clear that India's policy was not to be the first to use the nuclear option. He reiterated that there could be no triggering off situations, as the Indian Army would only look forward to events as they unfold. He did indeed say that India had the capability of launching a second strike, were, and he implied the Pakistani leadership, man enough ("a slip of the tongue") and then correction, mad enough to use it. He to the point elaborated that if anyone uses nuclear weapons against India and its assets and interests, then the perpetrators of such an outrage would be punished so severely that their continuation in any fray will be in doubt. He clarified on the question of triggering a war that decisions on war were taken by the government, and the political leadership. On the subject of troops build-up, he said there was no upping the ante. He said he was a man of peace. But if somebody comes to me with a war, the nation will believe that this man can bite.
Defence Minister
I personally have, notwithstanding the earlier trade union activities track records of our Defence Minister, held him in high regard as a simple son of the soil doing a straightforward duty. I have seen him at close quarters but will only touch on two incidents. He came to Kandla at the height of tidal wave destruction and I was standing there when he arrived aboard a helicopter. No relief work was going on as the entire district administration was mesmerised and frozen awaiting him and Sonia Gandhi. He asked Port Trust and district officers as to how he could help. They requested him to distribute small relief supply bundles to selected victims. The officials were taken aback when he said that he had come to do something substantial, `if I can. This you can do yourself' and before you could say Jack Robinson, he had taken off for Delhi. I took the liberty to say to him "relief work will start Sir, the moment you leave the scene." He did not know me and I was in civvies, he gave an understanding smile.
I have been in Siachen and if anybody has not been there, it is not possible to comprehend what it takes to exist there, let alone fight and defend it. Small packages of stores took three days from the base camp to the destination on a man pack basis. The same distance could be covered within no time with much greater load on a snowmobile, but the bureaucracy in South Block who had never got their bottoms off their chairs could not comprehend this. It took no time for George Fernandes on assuming the Ministership to see for himself and understand it. What a treat it was when he sent three of the involved bureaucrats to Siachen. The snowmobiles were sanctioned in no time. It does a lot of good to a poor soldier, leading a miserable life but yet with a smile to share a mug of tea and a pre-cooked snack with his "Raksha Mantri." His visits were worth the while. At worst he could have reduced them in number as admittedly they also burden the system.
Now we find inexplicably that the same son of the soil has flayed and denounced a very matured and capable Army Chief, who has spoken just twice till today and each word, each expression has been a measured one, with the right body language. He brought to naught, with a flourish of the Defence Minister's baton, all that had been achieved in an impressive press conference, which allayed the concerns of the man in the street and gave both men and the Army the confidence that while India will never press the nuclear button itself, let it be clear to its adversaries that the response would be something never seen before. It was Gen. Padmanabhan's day and down to the last other rank it gave enormous confidence in his leadership and that of the government. Perhaps it must have been the ego of the politician in him, that it is only his prerogative to analyse and to answer the queries and misgivings of the media and the people. It was not of someone who has been simple Spartan sharing his home with young Burmese students and not even a security guard to protect India's "Raksha Mantri."
The sack and its impact
Now from January 20 there have been banner headlines on television and the print media that India's Strike Corps Commander Lt. Gen. Kapil Vij, GOC II Corps with the reputation of being an illustrious, impeccable professional, has been sacked and removed from Command to be replaced by his junior Maj. Gen. Bhupinder Singh Thakur. Lt. Gen. Kapil Vij would soon have finished his tenure and in normal course would have been succeeded by the other illustrious officer Thakur in due course. The government will always know much better to judge actions than we people. There is therefore no quibble that, for whatever the reason be, a change was perhaps desirable if not necessary. There are ways of doing it. Assuming that Gen. Vij had gone beyond his remit, he could have been replaced, but it is the manner in which the Government has gone about it. The government knows better, but if it did not require crash action, then an errant Corps Commander could have been got to Army Headquarters within a couple of hours by helicopter, asked for an explanation and if such an explanation did not satisfy the government he could have been given a choice of being posted out or resigning.
His entire command, and for that matter the Army are taught to look up to the senior battle commanders, especially Strike Corps Commanders who are selected from the very best. One day this kind of Strike Corps Commander is on a pedestal and the next day on the mat. Imagine the feeling of the jawans who carry a very deep-rooted respect for their commanders to see their commander pulled off the pedestal unceremoniously. This cannot but affect the morale of the Armed Forces and give them the feeling that under shade of the politician and the bureaucrat, even a senior service office is pushed and messed around. Any amount of damage control thrust on a poor Col. Shruti Kant, the PRO of the Ministry of Defence, cannot be convincing. An issue, which could have been handled diplomatically, has hurt the feelings of those who value the uniform.
I have enough experience to understand that such things do not happen without the consent of superior commanders. My only disappointment is that the same thing could have been done keeping the dignity of the service, the men and its commanders in mind.
Lt. Gen. (Retd.) K.S. RANDHAWA, PVSM, AVSM
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