Thursday, March 23, 2017

POLITICS OF DISTRUST

SOURCE:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/politics-distrust-lt-gen-p-g-kamath





The Armed Forces are no means an independent entity. 

They are accountable to the people. Even its worst 

detractors in their quiet and sombre moments cannot 

help but appreciate their contribution to the country.  We 

look for no thanks and gratefulness from the public as 

we have taken an oath to defend this nation and its core 

values to the peril of our lives.   


 We have willingly surrendered parts of our fundamental 

  rights to strengthen the organisation.  All we ask from our 

countrymen is not to undermine our pride. 





POLITICS OF DISTRUST

By

PG Kamath


Two weeks ago, I attended the ‘The Huddle’ by the Hindu 

in Bangalore.  It was actually a conclave named as 

Huddle, probably for poetic alliteration.  ‘Terror Proofing 

India’ was one of the sessions.  The anchor asked: 

Should India project her armed forces in Syria, Iraq and 

Afghanistan and Gen Halagali responded that India, to 

be called a global power need to project her armed 

forces in trouble spots, if it serves the interest of the 

nation. He also said that the defensive strategy for cross 

border attacks from Pakistan had failed and the surgical 

strike conveyed the right message.  The anchor reacted 

by telling that the surgical strike has not stopped the 

‘cross border terrorism’ to which the General replied 

that after each cross border strike, we need to  strike 

back to raise the cost of ‘cross border terrorism’ to 

Pakistan.  He also said that Pakistan understands only 


one language; a bullet should be replied with a bullet.  It 


was a statement well appreciated by the audience and 

he was applauded couple of times.  The matter rested 

there and at the end of the question answer session the 

Chairman of Kasturi & Sons Ltd, gets up and thanks the 

constitution makers for keeping the Army where it is?  

Though, I do not recollect his exact words but the spirit 

of his statement was that the constitution makers were 


wise to keep the army outside the decision making.   His 


archaic views are really a result of Nehruvian 

distaste for the army. 


All, should do well to read the analysis of Ravindra W Pathak on the legal status of the Armed Forces


                            
Article 34 


              of the constitution envisages


                       MARTIAL  LAW


 It gives the armed forces the political authority to restore democracy.  


The Armed Forces owe their allegiance to the Constitution of the country.  


Article 52 gives the powers to the President,   who is the supreme commander of the armed forces. 


 Article 74 enables him to function on the advice of the Council of Ministers and Prime Minister. 


 In this way, the Armed Forces take political directions from the office of Prime Minister and the constitutional head remains the President.  


The Armed Forces have been placed in such a way that they are not a part of the Government. 


 It is basically to ensure that the Armed Forces perform their constitutional role to defend the constitution. 



 An officer of Indian Armed Forces also take oath; that he will observe and obey all the commands of the President of the Union of India and the commands of any officer set above him, even to the peril of his life.  


Please note the command he obeys is not of the Defence Minister or the Prime Minister but of the President of India and any senior officer placed above him.  Instead of giving credit to the Armed Forces for ensuring the integrity, sovereignty and democracy of the country since its independence and strictly remaining professional and apolitical, he gloats over the side-lining of the Armed Forces.


  Sad; that we have such people, who brook no 

opportunity to throw barbs at the armed forces, while 

enjoying the security and freedom at their behest. 


 I am reminded of what Voltaire said in the French

 parliament 

“I disapprove of what you say, but I defend to the death 

your right to say”.  


  I also defend to the death your right 


to belittle the Armed Forces 


as there are many of your likes, among the Indian intelligentsia, who have enjoyed the liberty, freedom, security and opportunities guaranteed by the armed forces that enabled them to be what they are today.



We also just saw how the politicians of all hues pounced 

on the Army Chief, when he said that the stone pelters, 

who interfere with army operations in the Valley would 

be dealt strictly.  The politicians and bureaucrats do not 

understand the pain of the Army Chief, who lost his four 

sons in that operation. His anguish and his response 

should be well appreciated by any, who has his heart in 

the right place.  Now we have a previous

home minister of UPA castigating the Army Chief for intemperate remarks?  

 Isn’t it a live comedy, when he himself is 

alleged to have modified the second affidavit on Ishrat 


Jahan’s encounter to the detriment to the nation?  He 


also violated the rules of Foreign Investment Promotion 

Board to facilitate the Maxi-Aircel deal? That’s not over 

yet; his son, a failed politician owning ‘Advantage 


Strategic Consulting Pvt Limited’ that facilitated the very 

same deal. Just see how the father and son duo work 

seamlessly to amass wealth?



It is a model case study for Management Institutes?   


The son has also been 


accused of money laundering and has been sought after 

by Income tax, ED and CBI.  The wife of the same 

minister is accused of taking 1.26 crores as lawyer’s 

fees from poor people, who had put their money in 

Sharadha Chit Fund.  She is also sought both by CBI 


and 
ED.   Here, the entire family is minting money 


breaking the law seemingly with unadulterated 


patriotism?  No wonder; he speaks for those youths in 


the Valley, who were obstructing anti terrorists 

operations of the Security Forces.  He does not speak a 

word for an officer and three soldiers, who were killed 

during that operations.  In our Country even such 

persons can masquerade as leaders and the media 

instead of blanking out such criminals from public eye, 

report every sordid comment they make?


I try my best not to harp on Pundit Nehru, who 

unfortunately nursed a deep seated distrust towards the 

Armed Forces of his own country, till he was chastened 


by the Chinese invasion.  Somehow, however much I try 


not recalling his naivety, I just cannot help but 

remembering it with great discomfort, as 

he had brought my country to her knees in front of the Chinese

 I wish to rub this point home on each and every occasion, as I cannot ever forgive him. His inherent disdain towards the Armed forces was greedily and conveniently lapped by the bureaucracy, who berated the Armed Forces with glee, while they bartered their professionalism and integrity to please those in power.  


Now let us look at USA:  31 of her 45 presidents have 

been veterans.   There are no qualms of retired Veterans 

holding important posts in the Government.  Now let us 

take President Trump, who has taken Gen James Mattis 

as secretary of defence, Gen John Kelly as homeland 

secretary, Lt Gen Michael Flynn as his national security 

adviser, who has now been replaced by Lt Gen Mac 

Master.  Veteran Ryan Zinke has been nominated as 

Secretary Interior and Veteran Stephen Bannon as Chief 

Strategist.  Many, in the past like Gen Colin Powell and 

Veteran John Kerry were Secretaries of State. It is not 

my intention to name all but suffice to say that great and 

stable democracies do not fear soldiers.  I can understand the people being weary of military, if India was a banana republic under a tin-pot dictator!  Why should the biggest democracy in the world fear the soldiers?



The web of distrust weaved by Pundit Nehru has been 


made more dense and sticky by the self-exalted and self-


opinionated bureaucracy.   It is also in the ‘deep state’ of 


the Indian Government.  It really does not matter who 


gets elected as the deeply entrenched bureaucracy 


would ensure the marginalisation of the Armed Forces; 


the interest of the nation be damned: The bottom line is 


that they should rule the roost. Even President Trump is 


fending off opposition from his bureaucrats, as they are 


doing selective leaks to undermine his policies.  The 


India bureaucracies does the same with subtlety, where 


they would feed falsehood, manipulate and prevaricate 


to enable a decision, which they consider meet their 


ends. 




Disgruntled soldiers from BSF, CRPF and Army, put 

their travails on the Facebook and the media has 
suddenly put springs in their boots and have become 

‘jumping jacks’ to save the country from the corrupt top 

brass?  Playing and replaying their ‘Facebook 

downloads’ and showing a burnt chapatti again and 

again enables the media to take cudgels for the 

downtrodden and become messiahs of these 

undisciplined soldiers. Just to put the matters straight; 

the army, BSF and CRPF would be making about six 

million chapattis per day 


and 


the  naïve TV anchors go gaga with one burnt chapatti.


 Even if one percent of 


chapattis are burnt, then there would be 60,000 burnt 

chapattis on every single day.  Why is the media not 

showing them every day?  Even in their houses they 

would find them occasionally and indeed does it call for 

a national debate?



The Armed Forces have well streamlined channels for 

grievances and only those, who let down their forces go 

public with the complaints.  Instead of letting the forces 

finding answers from within; the unemployed panellists, 

untrained journalists and desperate editors with a focus 

on TRPs burn their midnight oil to let down the forces 

that protect them.  We call it 

‘Freedom of the Press; indeed an exalted thought for thoughtless greenhorns’ 

trying to lower the morale of their own armed forces.  



For one bad sheep there are countless white ones; you 

really do not have a right to paint all of them in one 

brush under the notion of ‘freedom of press’



Magazines like ‘Outlook’ have survived the system by serving one family that has wrecked the country since independence.  Just look at the generic heading given on the cover page ‘Officer and a rogue’. Look with how much pleasure our enemies across the border would have savoured the magazine?  Dear Editor! I will not give you the pleasure of reading it and wasting my time.  I am sure you will have roaring sales in Pakistan.  The Chinese embassy would have bought hundreds of 
copies of your magazines and sent it across.  I am still 
not angry with you as you are doing it for your belly.  

You have always been doing it by kowtowing to the 
undeserving and sacrificing your professionalism at the 
altar of expediency. It has been your trait that has 
enabled your yellow journalism to survive. 

 Good luck to you!



The Armed Forces are no means an independent entity. 

They are accountable to the people. Even its worst 


detractors in their quiet and sombre moments cannot 


help but appreciate their contribution to the country.  We 


look for no thanks and gratefulness from the public as 


we have taken an oath to defend this nation and its core 


values to the peril of our lives.    We have willingly 


surrendered parts of our fundamental   rights to 


strengthen the organisation.  All we ask from our 


countrymen is not to undermine our pride. 





(The author is a veteran of Indian Army and can be reached at (pgkamath11@yahoo.com)

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