INDIAN ARMY :Army Deserves Break from Headlines

SOURCE:
http://bharatshakti.in/army-deserves-break-from-headlines/

Army Deserves Break from Headlines

                             By 




















       Lt Gen KJ Singh ( Retd )

Editor’s Note

The army has been in the media far too frequently, of late. Every statement made by the Army chief in a seminar that he addresses, and these are routine activities that the Chief needs to undertake, provides enough fodder to the press to run a story that’s loaded, rather too often. The social media is also full of what’s happening in the army. Some of it true, others entirely untrue. But notwithstanding their being genuine or not they flow from one group to another, a cascading effect that gathers believers as they spread. The author has some interesting issues, especially for the media houses to consider.

Army Deserves Break from Headlines

Last week, I had a group of visitors, retired Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), who asked me a rather disturbing question, “Why is Fauj (Armed Forces) so much in news? Their next question was even more perplexing: “How did Army become so corrupt that it has to launch a special drive to root out corruption?” The same debate has been raging on WhatsApp and other social media channels with veterans in hyperactive fastest-finger mode.

The core issue that needs to be addressed is: Does the Army need to be so much in the headlines? In this case, Army doesn’t generically include the other two Services, Air Force and Navy, who enjoy considerable anonymity and have developed a better mechanism to manage their exposure.

While the public has a right to know about Armed Forces and even hold it accountable, it needs to be restricted to macro issues. Is it fair to start nitpicking and make every small issue a headline and TV debate? In this process, we create what the Americans call, ‘Strategic Corporals’, caught in a maelstrom unleashed by TRP hunters. While the world moves on, they remain a case study in perpetuity stripped of their privacy. Maj Gogoi’s case could well be an example of this.

I am reminded of a story narrated by a journalist, in his younger days. His editor chided him when he was taking a snap of an over-turned Army vehicle. The editorial advice was, vehicles meet with such mishaps and the Army is fairly ruthless in dealing with such cases. Look for a better story.

Unfortunately, we have a number of reporters, who are ‘beacon journalists’ with a welcome flasher for disgruntled elements. Consequently, all news on disciplinary proceedings meant for restricted circulation, reaches them and this lazy breed milks headlines out of these. What they forget is that Army has a ‘court-martial’ syndrome – the moment an enquiry starts, the person is presumed guilty, ostracised and abandoned by system.

Responsible journalism should avoid breaching the privacy of affected officers till charges are framed and culpability is prima-facie established. Major blame rests with ‘legal eagles’, who leak such stories and to some extent petty minded officers, bent upon vitiating the atmosphere to further their personal agendas. Like charity, correctives begin at home and the Army has to look within first, as this category of news keeps the Army in dubious headlines.

Another related species is, ‘HMV’, named after now extinct, music company, ‘His Masters’ Voice’. They contribute maximum to promoting coteries in Army and keeping alive the wars that continue to rage between cliques. In this case, the blame really lies with their controllers, who need to reflect on their pettiness, which is eroding the credibility of Armed Forces and senior appointments. Ironically, their relevance is due to their stint in those very exalted slots.

Just to put it bluntly, why and for how long should a former incumbent continue to lead a vilification campaign against his successors and vice versa? This trend is unique to Army, whereas in civil services, they collectively stand up for each other, notwithstanding, the fact that Army has taught this virtue to others.

Media does not even realise the kind of damage they do by their cavalier approach on matters military. A medically boarded out Army officer duly appointed and serving in state civil services continues to be tagged as ‘Fauji’, just to add spice. A Merchant Navy official is described as a Naval officer and defaulters of Central Armed Police Forces are routinely termed as army personnel.

Many reports routinely describe JCOs and even Non Commissioned Officers as officers to make the news more catchy. Recently, many TV channels and newspapers mentioned hardcore military stations like Chandimandir and Hisar as Cantonments and nor as military stations; a sad commentary on quality of research.

It is universally agreed that corruption in Army has always remained well below the threshold due to a zero tolerance policy. It will be good if enterprising journalists take up the challenge of analysing comparative timeframes and punishments meted out. While Army officers are singled out and hounded at bullet train speed, politicians and bureaucrats are allowed to go scot free. What is worse is bureaucrats involved get promoted and even secure post retirement sinecures. A differentiated sense of accountability is demoralising and breeds dissatisfaction.

Every Chief has an unfettered privilege to strive and further improve the system, in fact aim for absolute zero corruption but the messaging needs to be nuanced and refined. It should not be allowed to spin out of control to cast aspersions and make sweeping judgments on prevailing system.

A word of caution, some Army traditions and institutions appear to be ostentatious but are a part of our heritage and in our urge to simplify, we should remain pragmatic and not destroy those which have stood the test of time. Most comparable facilities for bureaucrats and politicians are run on five star norms albeit on outsourced basis and are highly subsidised. Army at least endeavours to provide high quality service, on cost effective basis and in the process trains its personnel in soft skills. The only difference is that bureaucrats, who manage civilian facilities know nitty gritty of rules and ensure the best deal for themselves.

Veterans should not worry too much as the Army remains in good health and like all generations, this one too is entitled to strive for perfection, so good luck to them. Timely reassurance has come from research conducted by Aziz Premji University and Centre for the Study of Developing Societies. The Army has once again attained ‘numero uno’ status with 77% approval rating for ‘effective trust’ with a huge differential of 23% over the Supreme Court; the next one on the ladder. It is high time, media also trusts the most trusted and gives Army a well-deserved break from headlines. They have the systems and will power to retain their ‘mojo’.

Lt Gen KJ Singh (Retired)

: RAKSHA MANTRI’S SOPHISTRY: OPENING OF CANTT ROADS; THE UNKINDEST CUT OF ALL!

SOURCE:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lt-gen-p-g-kamath-91607499

RAKSHA MANTRI’S SOPHISTRY:

OPENING OF CANTT ROADS; THE 

UNKINDEST CUT OF ALL!

By

PG Kamath




09 Jul 2018

The Raksha Mantri (RM) in her own words had three

 meeting in April on 2nd, 17th and 26th.  In May, she had 

nine meetings on 4th, 9th, 15th,16th,17th,18th,19th, 22nd 

and 23rd.  Just look at her perseverance and her 

adherence to the Principle of War; Selection and 

Maintenance of Aim.  




You must all be thinking that she 

has gone on the war footing to improve the operational 

readiness of the Armed Forces to win the two and half

 front war under ‘Nuclear Biological and Chemical

 environment? Sadly, it was not to be! 

It was a well-planned a strategy with all the elements of

 deception, intrigue and subterfuge to achieve a victory

 of vested interests over the Indian Army.  

You should

 have seen the Victory Parade of her party goons, who

 mocked the sentries in Delhi Cantonment, when their

 leader, who also happens to be the ‘Raksha Mantri’ of

 our nation enabled it. Kudos to her sagacity; seldom

 you will find a Raksha Mantri, who can work so hard to

 compromise the security of families and children of the

 armed forces; including those, who are separated from

 their husbands and fathers, and deployed on the

 operational frontiers of the country. 

Why did she do it? 

She subjected the press to more than fifteen minutes of

 harangue trying to defend the indefensible.  One could

 see her nervousness while replying; trying her best to

 remain calm and composed belying her internal conflict;

 however, one could not fail to notice, that it was indeed 

a valiant but unsuccessful effort. 

The RM has been apparently professional in getting the

 roads opened in 62 cantonments; all need to take

 lessons as to how with single-minded devotion and

 resolve, the country’s security can be bartered to curry

 favour with local politicians; and, if that politician

 happens to be your spouse and pillow talks you into it: 

Then indeed; it has to be done with all the speed 

preferably under a veneer of pretentious

 professionalism, preceded by a charade of mock

 consultations.  Brilliantly adroit, stunningly clever with

 manipulative cunningness to back up one’s ulterior slick

 design under a façade of impassioned work ethos; the

 whole exercise was a mastery in deception with a

 mystery in intention, aimed to open the Cantt Roads in

 the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, that

 would facilitate schools run by local politicians.

  Incidentally ‘Pranav International School’, close to the

 Airforce Station is run by the spouse of RM.  He is the

 Chairman of the Parakala Seshavataram Memorial Trust,

 which runs the school.  The RM herself was also a

 Director in the Trust.  At one stroke, her spouse has

 become a darling of CM of Telangana and a host of

 brokers, landowners, realtors, businessmen,

 shopkeepers and school owners. All this, she could

 have done by just requesting the LMA to open a couple

 of roads in the twin cities.  The Chief would have

 willingly done it:  No, it should not appear so simple!

  Everyone should know that the RM means business and to cloak her vested interest in a garb of ‘Pan-India’ exercise involving 62 Cantonments was the central theme of the plot.  Trying her best to appear just and taking cudgels against the Indian Army; the final justice she delivers is to our enemies giving them ample soft targets in multiple cantonments, to perpetuate their terrorist activities.  

Now, let us look, who all have benefited from the move?

  First and foremost; it is a bonanza to the illegal

 encroachers as they have free access to their

 encroached settlements.  The next are those, who are

 staying illegally in huge Old Grant Bungalows and

 lapsed leased properties.  All, if not most of them are

 living illegally in collusion with the corrupt Defence

 Estate Officials with the backing of the Defence 

Ministry.  These illegal occupants would have free

 access to their illegally occupied properties

 perpetuating the unholy nexus.  The next beneficiary is

 the ‘Land Mafia’, who again in collusion with the

 Defence Estate Officials have raised the value of land

 within the Cantonments. All commercial establishments

 within the Cantonments would have additional footfalls

 and the rent and allied charges would increase steeply.

  Lastly, it is a windfall for the Director General of

 Defence Estates (DGDE) and all his officials, who would

 make money from all the above beneficiaries.  Next, it

 would also benefit all the lorries, buses, taxis,

 autorickshaws, tempos, and literally all and sundry to

 rush through the cantonment and despoil its sanctity

 and cleanliness.  It would also help private schools’

 buses to cut short the distance and make greater profits

 from the hapless parents.  One of the several

 beneficiaries is Pranav International School.    Look,

 how cleverly the plot has been hatched with detached

 attachment? Detached as others do not know; to whom

 the school belongs? Attached; as she knows that it

 belongs to her spouse and she was also a director in

 the Board of Trustees. 

Though I do not want to drag the spouse of the RM in the

 controversy, but the concatenation of circumstances

 shows, how he has benefited from the opening of the

 roads.  His parents were congress politicians of Andhra

 Pradesh and he was initially a congressman.  Later, he

 became the spokesperson of Andhra Pradesh unit of 

BJP.  Then he hopped on to Praja Rajyam Party and

 became its General Secretary and spokesman.  Due to

 its poor performance, the party was subsumed into

 Congress. In May 2014, Ms Sitharaman was appointed

 as Commerce Minister in BJP government.  In just over

 a month Mr Prabhakar was appointed as

 Communication Adviser with Cabinet rank to Andhra

 Pradesh Government.  These were the heydays when

 TDP and BJP were in bear hugging, back-slapping

 bonhomie and allies.  Mr Naidu was sweating to get

 Andhra Pradesh ‘Special Category’ status from the

 Union Government? What better way, than to appoint

 the party hopping Prabhakar and give him a status of 

Cabinet rank.  In mid-2017, there were strong rumours to

 make Prabhakar a MLC under the Governor’s quota and

 appoint him as a Cabinet Minister.  This could not be 

done as there were many party seniors, aspiring for the 

post.  Thus, the CM of Andhra Pradesh managed to have

 a mole in the union government in Ms Sitharaman, who

 would bat for him to get his state the much-sought

 Special Category status.  As it did not come about in the

 budget of 2018-19, the TDP split from NDA and the CM

 became the arch critic of the Union Government.  Now,

 Prabhakar was actually redundant to TDP.  He had

 piggybacked on the meteoric rise of his spouse and

 would have continued to progress, in case the Andhra

 Pradesh was given the ‘Special Category Status; alas! It

 was not to be. 

Isn’t it the right time to sow his political roots in

 Telangana? The CM of Telangana has been highly

 critical of the Defence Ministry for the restrictions, on

 the use of roads and is also eyeing defence lands in

 Secunderabad Cantt.  Most politicians run their schools

 near about the Cantt.  There is also a school run by a

 Missionary, who have always complained about the

 restrictions on the use of roads in the Cantt.  To put the

 matters straight; the Cantonments have existed for ages

 when there was no civil population around it.  The

 growth of the settlements around the Cantts ought to

 have been regulated by the State Governments, keeping

 the security perspective in mind.  Isn’t it a joke that the

 local government make colonies and settlements

 around by taking bribes and indulge in unplanned

 growth and then blame the Cantts for restricting the

 entry? However, the RM does not think so.  Her chief

 adviser is DGDE.  One has to just read any 

‘Performance and Audit Report on Defence Estate

 Management’ by CAG or Public Accounts Committee to

 gauge the credibility of the organisation.  As in my

 earlier writings, the RM takes the opinion of Vice

 Presidents and not of the Local Military Authorities, who

 are presidents of the Cantonment Boards.  Just see the

 TOI; Hyderabad Edition dated 8 Jun 2018; the Vice

 President of Cantt Boards warns the army authorities

 i.e. his President, to open the roads.  One needs to read

 a brilliant article entitled

‘MOD has Politicised Securityfor Electoral Reasons: Opening of Cantonment Roads Show That’ by Lt Gen Prakash Menon and Ram Ganesh,

https://theprint.in/opinion/mod-has-politicised-security-for-electoral-reasons-opening-of-cantonment-roads-shows-that/73513/

where they aver the responsibility of defence of

 Cantonments is of the MOD.  The responsibility to

 provide civic facilities to the populace is the

 responsibility of the Ministry of Housing and Urban

 Affairs at the union level and Municipal Corporations at

 the state level. In Secunderabad, it is the responsibility

 of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation to look into

 the problems faced by the residents. Even the Andhra

 Pradesh High Court on 26 Sep 2014 ruled in favour of

 Local Military Authorities, their right to impose

 restrictions on Cantt roads to meet the ends of security.

  However, the RM forgets for what she is paid for, and

 assumes the responsibility of Mayor of GHMC and

 incurs ‘contempt of court’. 

The TOI Hyderabad Edition of 18 Jun 2018, further cites

 more than 2000 new housing units would come up in

 areas close the Cantonment in the next one and half

 years.  Thanks to the RM and the local hero for

 facilitating it; her spouse.  It is just a matter to time that

 he would be politically rehabilitated by the KCR

 government for yeoman’s service rendered to all

 beneficiaries in the twin cities.  The path is also clear as

 he has resigned from the TDP government.  All the

 realtors, land mafias, encroachers, illegal occupants of

 Old Grant Bungalows and leased properties owe their

 largesse to him.  I leave the rest to your imagination.

Dear Raksha Mantri! 

It is high time you come out clean to the Prime Minister

 on the ‘Great Game’ you played.  You are relying on

 amnesia of the public psyche to forget your perfidy.  

You are also relying on the press, who are incapable of

 pursuing an event after the initial outcry. Once the

 brouhaha has died down, you will continue to harvest 

the goodies for despoiling the sanctity and security of 62

 cantonments.  If any untoward incident happens in any

 of the Cantonments, like Lady Macbeth; you would be 

trying to wash off your blood-stained hands for the rest

 of your life

Geography's Curse: India's Vulnerable 'Chicken's Neck

SOURCE: 
 ( A )  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poAVmF8BPjk

  ( B )  https://thediplomat.com/2013/11/geographys-curse-indias-vulnerable-chickens-neck/

                 Geography's Curse: 

     India's Vulnerable 'Chicken's Neck

Why Siliguri Corridor is very important to India? – India's Chicken's Neck

                                           https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poAVmF8BPjk

                  

The Siliguri Corridor is a terrifyingly vulnerable artery in India’s geography.'

                                 By

                         Ankit Panda

November 08, 2013

If you’ve been following The Pulse here at The Diplomat recently, you may have noted a few recent pieces (including one by yours truly) on India’s North-Eastern states. In any discussion of the governance problems or border issues in India’s North-East, a commonly mentioned word is “isolation.” The North-Eastern states are politically and geographically distant from New Delhi, and certain parts of the region share more in common culturally with Burma than they do with Punjab, or even West Bengal. A quirk of South Asian political geography has made it quite challenging for New Delhi to effectively integrate the North-Eastern states: the Siliguri Corridor.

Like most of the borders in South Asia, the Siliguri Corridor – known also as the “Chicken’s Neck”– is a cartographic relic of the British decolonization process. As the British Empire withdrew and partitioned British India along religious lines to create the modern states of India and Pakistan (which was then divided into East and West Pakistan), it drew the lines that lead to the Siliguri in an attempt to maintain contiguity between Bengal and Assam. The creation of East Pakistan (which became Bangladesh in 1971) along religious lines necessitated the awkward choke point in India’s contemporary geography. The Siliguri, at its slimmest point, puts less than a marathon’s distance between the Bangladeshi and Nepalese borders (14 miles). 

All land trade between North-East India’s 40 million denizens and the rest of the country traverses the Siliguri owing to the lack of a free-trade agreement between India and Bangladesh. In 2002, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh joined India in discussing a proposal to create a free-trade agreement that would have facilitated the movement of goods across the Siliguri corridor, but no such agreement has been established. Further reinforcing the strategic precariousness of the region is the fact that a single-line railway is all that carries rail-based freight across the Siliguri. The harsh topography of the region makes the railway and roads subject to damage from frequent landslides and natural disaster; India’s North-East is known for its record-breaking levels of rainfall. 

As if natural disasters were not enough to send the Siliguri to the top of the list of India’s strategic anxieties, the corridor has a complex and troubled political history. The situation has somewhat improved since the pre-1971 era, when icy relations with China in the north and East Pakistan meant that the region was a constant source of cross-border tension. Since the 1962 war with China, Indian strategists have envisioned a future scenario where "the Chinese may simply bypass and drop Special Forces to choke vulnerable Siliguri Corridor and cut off the Northeast.” China’s diplomacy with Bhutan gives reason to take this possibility seriously; in 1996, China began a concerted diplomatic effort to yield a border claim with Bhutan in exchange for the Doklam Plateau. The territorial swap with Bhutan would place in China’s hands the key to India’s choke point in the Siliguri.

India’s fortunes in the Siliguri were slightly ameliorated when the tiny monarchy of Sikkim – situated just north of the Siliguri, between Nepal, China, and Bhutan – merged with India in 1975 to become its second-smallest state. Sikkim had long been a subject of controversy between India and China. In the early 2000s, China refused to acknowledge Sikkim as part of India, maintaining that it was an independent state. The decision to do so was sparked by a controversy around the 17th Karmapa of the Black Hat branch of Tibetan Buddhism. Nevertheless, in 2003, China granted de facto recognition of Sikkim as a part of India by ceasing to list it as a separate state on its official documents and maps. 

In acknowledgement of its importance to India’s national security, the state maintains a heavy patrol presence in the Siliguri region. The Indian Army, the Assam Rifles, the Border Security Force, and the West Bengal Police all patrol the region. India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) is known to closely observe Nepalese, Bhutanese, and Bangladeshi activity in the region as well. Among other issues, the Siliguri has been vulnerable to illegal Bangladeshi immigration into India. Certain analysts have also speculated that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has attempted to exploit the Siliguri via Nepal-based insurgents.

The Siliguri Corridor is a terrifyingly vulnerable artery in India’s geography. For Indians in the North-East, every look at a map is a sobering reminder of just how fragile their physical and economic tether to the rest of the country remains. Unlike so many of the problems India faces, the Siliguri Corridor’s vulnerability is a cruel endowment of political geography and essentially one it is stuck with. On the bright side, the current level of strategic vulnerability is far lower than it was in the past and can be further moderated with the establishment of a free-trade agreement between the states bordering the Siliguri.

Read More: Behind China’s Sikkim aggression, a plan to isolate Northeast from the rest of India – The Economic Times https://goo.gl/1bk8yb China says area where Road being built does not belong to Bhutan – NDTV https://goo.gl/7dtP72s India ready, theoretically: ‘Threats’ to Siliguri Corridor war- gamed https://goo.gl/37miyE Illegal Bangladeshi Migration to India: Impact on Internal Security – Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis https://goo.gl/iwGXtu The Chicken’s Neck Conspiracy: An Analysis – Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) https://goo.gl/L2XPkc India China Stand-off shadow on the Chicken’s Neck – One India https://goo.gl/HNYQXZ