SOURCE:
http://qz.com/826283/pakistani-bullets-can-wait-indian-armed-forces-are-busy-fighting-their-shameless-politicians/
ERODING DIGNITY
http://qz.com/826283/pakistani-bullets-can-wait-indian-armed-forces-are-busy-fighting-their-shameless-politicians/
ERODING DIGNITY
PAKISTANI BULLETS CAN WAIT.
INDIAN ARMED FORCES
ARE
BUSY FIGHTING
THEIR SHAMELESS POLITICIANS
For decades, inside the wood-panelled halls of the Indian Army officers’ messes, one among a handful of subjects prohibited from discussions is politics. The other two are religion and women.
Indeed, in a region(read South Asia) where generals and politicians have often indulged in musical chairs, the deeply apolitical nature of the Indian Army has been a guarantor of sorts of the world’s largest democracy. On its part, the Indian political establishment, too, has wisely stayed away from interfering.
Symbolic of this relationship is an anecdote about the then prime minister Indira Gandhi asking her army chief, the wildly popular Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, about reports that he planned to take her position. Newly bathed in the glory of the 1971 war victory over Pakistan, Manekshaw is said to have replied: “You have a long nose. So have I. But I don’t poke my nose into other people’s affairs.”
Over the last few months, though, India’s political class has collectively sullied the image of the soldier—and may have even irreversibly damaged an institution largely seen as being above all the pettiness that defines much of the subcontinent’s politics.
Death of a Veteran
On Nov. 01, a 70-year-old army veteran, Ram Kishan Grewal, committed suicide in New Delhi, purportedly in protest against the Narendra Modi government’s wishy-washy one rank one pension (OROP) scheme. A day later, Congress party vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal waded into the brewing crisis. Both were detained by the Delhi police, and the focus swiftly shifted to the ensuing political mudslinging.
Cleared by the government last September, OROP is meant to ensure that, regardless of when they retire, soldiers at the same rank and duration of service receive the same amount as pension. However, ex-servicemen still have deep reservations about the implementation of the scheme, which was part of the prime minister’s package of pre-election promises.
For instance, analysts say, the government has proposed to fix the pension amount based on an average figure, while the veterans had demanded that the amount be pegged to the highest figure for that grade. Similarly, the scheme cleared by authorities kept those who took voluntary retirement out of the fray. The protesters said this was unfair as, unlike in the private sector, those opting for voluntary retirement are not provided a lump sum at the end of the tenure.
The OROP crisis, of course, has been churning for over a year. Last June, military veterans across the country went on indefinite hunger strikes in over a dozen cities to force the government i The OROP scheme, as planned by the government, would cost the exchequer Rs6,500 crore every year. nto implementing it. On Aug. 14, 2015, the Delhi police even assaulted some of the protestors in New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar area. Days later, three defense chiefs wrote to president Pranab Mukherjee, the supreme commander of the Indian armed forces, with a terse message: “Given the evolving situation, there is every possibility of the situation getting out of hand.”
Eventually, the government did pass a version of the OROP, but not before India’s soldiers were forced to the streets, manhandled by cops, and even compelled to go hungry.
“The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) used the veterans during the 2014 election campaign, but quickly forgot about them after the elections, only to be reminded again when the veterans began agitating,” said Mandeep Singh Bajwa, military historian and strategic affairs expert. “The problem is that the BJP made big promises to win elections without thinking through the financial ramifications.” Indeed, the OROP scheme, as planned by the government, would cost the exchequer Rs6,500 crore every year.
This, however, was only the beginning of such tinkering that has fuelled suspicion over the government’s intent.
A Fraught Game
On Sept. 28, the Modi regime unleashed a wave of military bravado through the country after the Indian Army executed what it called “surgical strikes” across the border in Pakistan. This was in response to a deadly attack by Islamabad-backed terrorists on an army base in Jammu and Kashmir’s Uri town.
Ever since, the government has sought to ride the euphoria over this successful tactical military manoeuvre by burnishing its muscular image in the run-up to crucial state assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh (UP), Punjab, and Goa.
Within days of the cross-border action, the BJP had begun putting up posters in some UP towns, showing silhouettes of soldiers and Modi’s clenched fist, alongside mentions of surgical strikes and Pakistan.
This, though, isn’t the first such attempt by the Indian political brass. In 1999, after the Indian Army repulsed Pakistani intrusion in Kargil, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad—part of the BJP’s extended political family—sent a number of its representatives to the army headquarters. As former army chief General VP Malik recalled in his book,
Kargil: From Surprise to Victory:
The armed forces were anguished because they were getting sucked into electoral politics as a result of the blatant effort to politicise the war for immediate electoral advantage. At one stage, in desperation, I had to send across a strong message through the media: ‘Leave us alone; we are apolitical.
Thankfully, nothing of that sort happened this time.
Juvenility in the Opposition Benches
Meanwhile, India’s opposition parties haven’t been too tactful either, frequently displaying a particular penchant for awful timing.
In the aftermath of the surgical strikes, with Pakistan openly questioning the authenticity of India’s claims, the Congress and Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party implored the Modi government to provide proof—if only to rubbish Pakistan’s denial. In a country where anything anti-BJP is nowadays automatically construed as “anti-national,” such queries were readily interpreted as questioning the very integrity of the army.
More recently, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), a political minnow, created national headlines after it arm-twisted filmmakers who hire Pakistani artistes into agreeing to donate to the Army Welfare Fund which typically receives only voluntary donations. In this instance, thankfully, the army veterans collectively chastised the MNS for dragging the military into this seeming mess.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Meanwhile, the government’s own machinations over pensions and payments have added to a growing atmosphere of civilian-military distrust.
On Sept. 30, just hours after the surgical strike, the Modi regime quietly executed a move that could severely affect the very people it sought to woo. The department of ex-servicemen welfare issued a letter that announced a considerable cut in the pensions of soldiers deemed invalid due to crippling injuries suffered in battle or during hazardous military service.
“A soldier with five years of service earns Rs30,400 a month; 100% disability pension would match that figure. In its place, he will now be entitled to a flat rate of Rs12,000 a month. A major with 10 years of service earns Rs98,300 a month. In place of that figure for 100% disability, he will get just Rs27,000 a month,” the Business Standard newspaper reported on Oct. 10.
The government initially denied any such move but later tacitly admitted to making such a change when it referred the issue to a panel for review.
A few days later, on Oct. 18, it downgraded the status of military officers vis a vis their civilian counterparts. The defence ministry’s move, coming so soon after the disability pensions fiasco, triggered
“widespread resentment in military circles.” “This isn’t mischief, but mischief-plus by bureaucrats,” an army officer
told the Hindustan Times newspaper.
It indicates a mystifying move to downgrade the armed forces. All this must be read as part of a larger script that has the government trying to cut down on defence spending and lower the standing of the armed forces, according to some defence analysts. Consider, for instance, the downsizing of the China-focused Mountain Strike Corp of the Indian Army from the planned 90,000 personnel to a mere 35,000.
“It indicates a mystifying move to downgrade the armed forces and promote the paramilitary forces and the police. This is uncalled for,” said Bajwa. “There is a stark dichotomy in the muscular, military-focused image that the government is trying to project and its actions.”
Be it OROP or the disability pension, these issues have a direct effect on serving personnel as, in this profession, serving officers are closely connected to the veterans.
“I have had several officers call me during that previous OROP agitation, saying that the next time the issue flares up, they will come down to Jantar Mantar to protest—in their uniforms,” Bajwa said. “To be fair, it is not just the BJP. Almost all political parties have used them, but the BJP has been at the forefront.”
READ ALSO
Modi Government Has Taken More Anti-Army Steps Than Any Other
The Bharatiya Janta Party and its government, which has been hiding behind the army and taking refuge in nationalism to divert attention from its failures, today stands thoroughly exposed. The mask has fallen and they have been exposed for what they really are - a bunch of people raising the bogey of nationalism and patriotism only to exploit the popular sentiment of the people at a time of national crisis in order to garner votes in the upcoming assembly elections.
But the suicide of Subedar Ram Kishan Grewal has exposed the diabolical mindset of the ideology which is trying to create a monolithic Hindu structure.
It is not surprising that the Modi government has not fulfilled the promises it made to ex-soldiers on the issue of OROP. What is surprising is the reaction of the government, the Delhi police, BJP ministers and senior BJP leaders. An army man is dead due to the indifferent attitude of the government, but he is being ridiculed and maligned by the BJP-RSS. A minster who was the Army Chief not too long ago suggested he could be mentally unstable and wanted his mental condition to be stated. The Chief Minister of Haryana, M L Khattar, and his minister Anil Vij raised questions about Ram Kishan Grewal being called a martyr because he had committed suicide. These gentlemen have forgotten that Veer Shaheed Chandra Shekhar Azad shot himself dead while fighting the English police at Alfred Park, Allahabad, during the time of freedom movement and whole world reveres him as great patriot and a martyr. By the logic of BJP-RSS, Azad is not a martyr and his mental status should be examined! This is ridiculous and reflects the ideological bankruptcy of the BJP-RSS.
Their reaction also does not reflect Hindu tradition. In Hindu tradition, the dead are never insulted, humiliated or ridiculed even if they be an enemy. Tragically, these gentlemen claim to be the upholders of Hindu tradition. But let's not forget that these were the forces who distributed sweets after the killing of Mahatma Gandhi. None other than Sardar Patel said so in his letter to the RSS chief Guruji Golwalkar. These were the leaders who mocked the death of Rohith Vemula too, the Dalit boy from Hyderabad University. It was also claimed that he was not a Dalit.
The BJP and Modi want to garner votes in the name of surgical strikes but if you look at their track record, this is the government which has taken the most anti-army measures in its tenure. The disability pension was halved by the Modi government. And very recently, the army officers' profile was downgraded vis-a-vis civilian officers and no explanation was ever offered by the government. After the surgical strikes, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar went to the extent of insinuating that the army had not done anything for the country since independence. Parrikar called the army "Hanuman" who had to be made aware of its potential (by him) so that it could then carry out a surgical strike. Can anything be more insulting to the Indian army than this? This is the army which has fought 4 successful wars with Pakistan including the one for the creation of Bangladesh. Either this government has no sense of history or they have no respect for the army and soldiers. In hindsight, both seem true.
This is the same government which had announced that OROP was sanctioned. Prime Minister Modi had announced this a few days before the suicide of Ram Kishan. If OROP had been granted to the satisfaction of the soldiers, then why has he committed suicide? Minutes before his death, while talking to his son in a phone conversation whose audio clip is being played on TV, he is clearly heard saying that he had taken poison as he was unhappy with the government not granting OROP as demanded by ex-soldiers. He said that he was taking this extreme step so that justice could be done. The suicide was his expression of protest to the attitude of the government. Ram Kishan was no ordinary soldier. He was twice decorated by the President and also by the Chief of the Army Staff. If a man of his character has to take this extreme step, then it has to be understood in the proper context. He had done enough for the country to earn respect, not ridicule, by BJP leaders after his death. It is sad; it is demeaning his supreme sacrifice. Let's have no doubts that he is a martyr.
But a more frightening thing has also happened. If it is not contested now, it will shake the foundations of Indian democracy. There is a serious attempt to turn a vibrant democracy into a police state. Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia were both detained by the police for more than six hours. Even Rahul Gandhi was not spared despite SPG protection. No reason was ever given. When contacted, the Police Commissioner of Delhi feigned helplessness, indicative of the fact that the Joint Commissioner of Police in charge of the area was directly getting instruction from someone higher than the Police Chief.
Can you imagine a similar situation in any other state? How can a police officer detain a democratically-elected Chief Minister and his Deputy? Can the Bihar police detain Nitish Kumar? Or in UP, can the police stop Akhilesh Yadav from meeting any one in a hospital? How can a sitting Chief Minister be treated as a threat to the law and order? It is the duty of an elected Chief Minister to meet the family of a deceased army man's family and offer condolences. But Arvind Kejariwal and Manish Sisodia were denied that right. Let me remind you that this is the same Delhi Police which has arrested 14 AAP MLAs on fake, frivolous and baseless charges. If in a democracy, the police gets precedence over the democratically elected Chief Minister, or people's representatives, and not accorded the respect which he/she deserves, then the signal is not good. Democracy won't survive if the police is not accountable to the elected representatives and does not offer the respect which the constitution demands.
The same police was so drunk with power that it even roughed up the son of Ram Kishan Grewal, detained him for long, and did not let him go near the body of his father. Has Indian democracy become so insensitive or fragile that it is scared of a dead soldier?
A dead soldier has shown the chinks in the armour of the Modi government; it has burst the bubble of nationalism which Modi and Parrikar have been trying to float. It raises the uncomfortable question: how can a government which is so gung-ho about the army ill-treat its own soldiers and lie about its promises? A government which has floundered on all fronts i.e., when industrial output is at a ten-year low, joblessness is the highest in the last six years, Kashmir is boiling, and the relationship with Pakistan has plummeted -well, then nationalism is the only plank which could have earned dividends for the Modi government, BJP and RSS. Ram Kishan's death has changed things at a most inopportune time with assembly elections in five states round the corner. But now there are signs of nervousness in the BJP and Modi camp. The tide is turning. Detaining Arvind Kejariwal will not help a desperate party and its leader; rather, it will sharpen the crisis. People are not fools. They are watching.
(Ashutosh joined the Aam Aadmi Party in January 2014.)
But the suicide of Subedar Ram Kishan Grewal has exposed the diabolical mindset of the ideology which is trying to create a monolithic Hindu structure.
It is not surprising that the Modi government has not fulfilled the promises it made to ex-soldiers on the issue of OROP. What is surprising is the reaction of the government, the Delhi police, BJP ministers and senior BJP leaders. An army man is dead due to the indifferent attitude of the government, but he is being ridiculed and maligned by the BJP-RSS. A minster who was the Army Chief not too long ago suggested he could be mentally unstable and wanted his mental condition to be stated. The Chief Minister of Haryana, M L Khattar, and his minister Anil Vij raised questions about Ram Kishan Grewal being called a martyr because he had committed suicide. These gentlemen have forgotten that Veer Shaheed Chandra Shekhar Azad shot himself dead while fighting the English police at Alfred Park, Allahabad, during the time of freedom movement and whole world reveres him as great patriot and a martyr. By the logic of BJP-RSS, Azad is not a martyr and his mental status should be examined! This is ridiculous and reflects the ideological bankruptcy of the BJP-RSS.
Their reaction also does not reflect Hindu tradition. In Hindu tradition, the dead are never insulted, humiliated or ridiculed even if they be an enemy. Tragically, these gentlemen claim to be the upholders of Hindu tradition. But let's not forget that these were the forces who distributed sweets after the killing of Mahatma Gandhi. None other than Sardar Patel said so in his letter to the RSS chief Guruji Golwalkar. These were the leaders who mocked the death of Rohith Vemula too, the Dalit boy from Hyderabad University. It was also claimed that he was not a Dalit.
The BJP and Modi want to garner votes in the name of surgical strikes but if you look at their track record, this is the government which has taken the most anti-army measures in its tenure. The disability pension was halved by the Modi government. And very recently, the army officers' profile was downgraded vis-a-vis civilian officers and no explanation was ever offered by the government. After the surgical strikes, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar went to the extent of insinuating that the army had not done anything for the country since independence. Parrikar called the army "Hanuman" who had to be made aware of its potential (by him) so that it could then carry out a surgical strike. Can anything be more insulting to the Indian army than this? This is the army which has fought 4 successful wars with Pakistan including the one for the creation of Bangladesh. Either this government has no sense of history or they have no respect for the army and soldiers. In hindsight, both seem true.
This is the same government which had announced that OROP was sanctioned. Prime Minister Modi had announced this a few days before the suicide of Ram Kishan. If OROP had been granted to the satisfaction of the soldiers, then why has he committed suicide? Minutes before his death, while talking to his son in a phone conversation whose audio clip is being played on TV, he is clearly heard saying that he had taken poison as he was unhappy with the government not granting OROP as demanded by ex-soldiers. He said that he was taking this extreme step so that justice could be done. The suicide was his expression of protest to the attitude of the government. Ram Kishan was no ordinary soldier. He was twice decorated by the President and also by the Chief of the Army Staff. If a man of his character has to take this extreme step, then it has to be understood in the proper context. He had done enough for the country to earn respect, not ridicule, by BJP leaders after his death. It is sad; it is demeaning his supreme sacrifice. Let's have no doubts that he is a martyr.
Can you imagine a similar situation in any other state? How can a police officer detain a democratically-elected Chief Minister and his Deputy? Can the Bihar police detain Nitish Kumar? Or in UP, can the police stop Akhilesh Yadav from meeting any one in a hospital? How can a sitting Chief Minister be treated as a threat to the law and order? It is the duty of an elected Chief Minister to meet the family of a deceased army man's family and offer condolences. But Arvind Kejariwal and Manish Sisodia were denied that right. Let me remind you that this is the same Delhi Police which has arrested 14 AAP MLAs on fake, frivolous and baseless charges. If in a democracy, the police gets precedence over the democratically elected Chief Minister, or people's representatives, and not accorded the respect which he/she deserves, then the signal is not good. Democracy won't survive if the police is not accountable to the elected representatives and does not offer the respect which the constitution demands.
The same police was so drunk with power that it even roughed up the son of Ram Kishan Grewal, detained him for long, and did not let him go near the body of his father. Has Indian democracy become so insensitive or fragile that it is scared of a dead soldier?
A dead soldier has shown the chinks in the armour of the Modi government; it has burst the bubble of nationalism which Modi and Parrikar have been trying to float. It raises the uncomfortable question: how can a government which is so gung-ho about the army ill-treat its own soldiers and lie about its promises? A government which has floundered on all fronts i.e., when industrial output is at a ten-year low, joblessness is the highest in the last six years, Kashmir is boiling, and the relationship with Pakistan has plummeted -well, then nationalism is the only plank which could have earned dividends for the Modi government, BJP and RSS. Ram Kishan's death has changed things at a most inopportune time with assembly elections in five states round the corner. But now there are signs of nervousness in the BJP and Modi camp. The tide is turning. Detaining Arvind Kejariwal will not help a desperate party and its leader; rather, it will sharpen the crisis. People are not fools. They are watching.
(Ashutosh joined the Aam Aadmi Party in January 2014.)
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