POLITICIZING THE MILITARY;
A STRATEGIC BLUNDER BY THE STATE
BY
Admiral Arun Prakash (Retd)
India’s Armed Forces, apart from their role of safeguarding the nation, provide a bright strand in the national fabric, which represents the ideals of integrity, discipline, secularism and professional excellence. Since independence, they have embodied a proud pan-Indian martial tradition, which promotes a sense of national unity and cohesion. Above all, in a region full of praetorian militaries, the Indian armed forces have remained a steadfast pillar of democracy and are - so far- untainted by political ambition.
Like those who take up government service or political office, the Serviceman, too, swears an oath to the Constitution of India. But unlike his civilian counterparts, the soldier has an ‘unlimited liability’ in defence of the nation’s interests and his oath of allegiance includes this passage: “I will observe and obey all commands of the President of India …..even to the peril of my life.” It is for this reason that the soldier deserves a special place in society.
However, this year’s Kargil Vijay Diwas, meant to celebrate the victory of Indian arms over Pakistani intruders on our soil and to honour those who fell in battle, left a bitter taste in every soldier’s mouth. While politicians paid saccharine tributes to our fallen Kargil heroes, veteran soldiers – many in their 80s - were into the fifth week of a public agitation, asking the NDA government to redeem its promise of granting ‘one rank one pension’ or OROP.
Forcing the Veterans to take to the streets was a grave mistake. But it has been compounded by the insensitivity and malfeasance of the MoD bureaucracy, which has driven a disciplined and politically-neutral segment of India’s society into the maw of party-politics.
Dismayed by the traditionally disdainful attitude of the Congress towards India’s military, as the 2014 elections approached, the Veterans allowed themselves to be lured by the siren-call of the BJP’s putative nationalism. Jumping on the party’s victorious bandwagon seemed like a sure way of getting their demands met. The post-election allocation of cabinet portfolios to recently retired military officers – a move of questionable wisdom – seemed to be a deal-clincher. A year later, however, the sadly disillusioned Veterans are now fishing around for other political options.
Once he doffs his uniform, a Veteran is, technically, liberated from the restraints of military discipline, and is free to adopt the demeanor of any civilian on the street. But deep inside, his soul cringes at the very thought of conducting himself in a manner which would have brought disrepute to his uniform, unit or Service. Agitating, squatting on footpaths and undertaking fasts/dharnas are activities he instinctively associates with ‘trade-unionism’; antithesis of military discipline and fortitude, a creed he has followed for a lifetime.
He harbours a similar distaste for political horse-trading.
However, he has been driven to all this by dissembling and prevarication on the OROP issue by successive governments.
It seems incredible that none of the wise-heads amongst India’s political leadership has taken cognizance of two stark realities.
Firstly; that Veterans retain a strong ‘umbilical connection’ with serving personnel, because the two constitute an extended family. Whatever happens at Jantar Mantar filters back to the men in uniform, almost instantly, through social media.
Secondly; anything that humiliates the Veteran, also hurts the self-esteem of the soldier, because he knows, he is tomorrow’s Veteran.
And yet, in a seemingly inexplicable and self-destructive continuum, the Indian state appears to have, deliberately, proceeded to downgrade and demoralize its own armed forces and Veterans.
This insidious process, underway since independence, has been orchestrated by the bureaucracy and it is now clear that successive pay commissions have been utilised, by them, as the instrumentality to erode the financial and protocol status of the military while bolstering their own.
While it may give satisfaction to the petty mandarins of MoD or Finance Ministry to show the military ‘who is the real boss’, the political leadership should have the perspicacity to realize that;
(a) soldiers – and Veterans – are emblematic of a nation’s pride and honour and must be protected from such assaults from within the system, and
(b) demoralization in the rank and file of the armed forces can benefit only the nation’s enemies.
It is a great pity that from 2008 onwards, no political leader has shown the good sense and vision to reach out and ensure that veteran soldiers did not have to take to the streets or seek political support for their causes. This could have been easily achieved, by the simple expedients of creating grievance redressal mechanisms and by establishing direct lines of communication with the Veterans.
By egregious neglect and inaction, the Indian state has helped destroy, the ‘apolitical’ ethos that our military and nation have been so proud of; with unforeseeable consequences.
Irresponsible and hot-headed Veteran voices are being heard, on social media; some demanding that the three Service Chiefs should offer their resignations over the OROP issue. Worse suggestions may follow.
Even at this late hour, a spark of wisdom, sagacity and empathy for our soldiers can pull us back from the precipice. Recognition of the extra demands of military service and the sacrifices made in fulfilling them, articulated at the apex political level, would justify a quid-pro-quo for cessation of their agitation and participation in politics by the Veterans.
