Sub. Grewal suicide needed a few seconds for the news to go viral, when the political vultures, who would otherwise deride Indian Army as Modi’s paid soldiers, was in haste rooting for the Army
by Brigadier Arun Bajpai (Retd)
Sub Ram Krishna Grewal who committed suicide on the issue of OROP on 1 Nov 2016 was not a small person .He held the rank of Subedar which means a platoon commander leading 36 men in war. If he was forced to commit suicide on the issue of OROP where he felt short changed as per his suicide note, then whether Modi government likes it or not they have lost respect of the entire armed forces community on which they were acting macho recently, especially after the surgical strike. Fault lies with the Modi government as also the defense minster Parrikar who has been going back on his own words under pressure from the babus of the MOD. The real culprits are the babus who have been guiding read misguiding the Modi government on matters military. Had this government listened to the advice of the armed forces things in India would have been different.
Mrs Indira Gandhi rewarded the Armed forces of India on their spectacular victory over Pakistan with 90,000 Pakistani officers and men their prisoners, a feat only repeated by India after world war 2, by reducing the pension of soldiers from 70% of the last pay drawn to 30%.This could have led to revolt in any other country but in India its Army being apolitical and highly disciplined tolerated it. This was done basically due to mischief of the babus who straddle Ministry of Defense and suck the blood of the country as also the armed forces by taking fat commissions in all foreign arms purchase deals. It is because of these babus that despite country having enough potential and capability we even after 70 years of independence are buying 70% of our arms from abroad and not making them at home, because every foreign purchase of arms comes with fat Moolah. This is a shame.
Unlike other major democracies where the politicians are not only highly educated but have themselves taken part in military operations, and cannot be fooled by these petty babus, In India these politicians are clueless in matters military. In addition they have more faith in these babus then the professionals of military as a result one blind man leads the other and we bumble along. In India in the name of civilian control over armed forces it is basically bureaucratic control over armed forces that is the root cause of all problems. It is beyond the mental capability of the petty babus straddling the MOD to understand that the deep sense of self esteem that is ingrained in the armed forces, and forms the basis for the spirit-de-corps that motivates a soldier to lay down his life on the line, is fast becoming a casualty. If things are not corrected fast than we are facing ruin of an organisation and country. This explains that while PM Modi was spearheading Sandesh to soldier’s campaign on Diwali, a very laudable effort by him, the petty Babus in MOD were busy simultaneously to down grading the status of the armed forces .This act of these babus have taken away the genuine good will gesture by MODI. In any other country these babus who damaged PMs Campaign would have been sent home but in India nothing will happen to them.
First time in history of India it was Subramanian committee set up after Kargil war which recognized the need for harmony in civil military relations in Armed forces and MOD. It made lot of recommendations for integration of civil –military working relations. 23 were accepted by the then government. However despite 13 years having gone by these petty babus have ensured that this integration is mostly on the papers. Modi government had a unique opportunity to make Gen VK Singh ex Army chief and now a minster in Modi Government to forcefully implement these reforms by placing him in MOD, but once again Sab Chalta hai .It is time Modi government wakes up before it is too late.
Brig Arun Bajpai (Retd) is a distinguished Defense and Strategic Analyst. Views expressed are of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of IDN.
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