Background & Trigger
The Nation and its Soldiers by Major P M Ravindran (Retd) published on 16 February by Team Mission Victory India drew several complementary responses from our military veteran fraternity that reinforced all the issues that were raised in his comprehensive piece. After perusal of the article what the veterans have said individually basically endorse this article and give further insight into some of the issues as per their awareness and perception.
Some of the responses from veterans that were sent to the author for information have been further commented upon that have added even more depth and clarity to these issues. All the responses received from veterans to this article are reproduced below along with comments by the author on some of these points. All these collectively add much depth and credibility to all the issues raised and are indeed a matter of concern and food for thought for our soldiers, veterans, and citizens of the country!
Responses from Veterans
Gp Capt. TP Srivastava (Retd), Author & Analyst
I read through the write up twice over. Most of what is stated is factually correct. I have already expressed my views on the issue in my article 'Indian Military on the Cross (Road). Talking about the military looking after 'its own'; suffice to say let us look at how a dedicated set up Directorate General of Resettlement works.
I was Director (Training) there. I will not comment lest it open a can of worms, the military may not be able to swallow. Maj Ravindran's stress that 'we are cheated by our own' is on the dot. Nothing is likely to change in the foreseeable future. Soldiers killed/maimed merely become part of stats
Col. J P Singh (Retd), ex Inf, Military Historian
Maj Ravindran deserves compliments for putting across clearly that 'Armed Forces are the victim of the System'. I think the script and the comments are inbuilt. However, I feel the following reasons for the victimhood. We chose armed forces as a profession voluntarily. There is a exit door always open which we don't/didn't see; why? Even Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, supposedly extraordinarily strong military leader could tell! He too was victim of the system.
So, we are at the PM's mercy for everything. He/She can give rations to officers or can deny them whenever wishes to. The Defence Minister sacks a Naval Chief, the system does not hold the Naval chief's hand. System gives NFU to whomsoever it wants. System sends us home at a young age, we run from pillar to post for our dues/rights, the nation does not care. Maj Ravindran is right, Soldiers are eulogized during war but during peace nation finds faults with armed forces and starts belittling it. System again.
PM Modi's feeds sweets to soldiers in field on Diwali. It is hypocrisy at its best. With the sweets, has he ever given any other welfare tonic, even a little bit except lies that OROP has been given? Why should soldiers itch to get sweets from Him. He should be told by them that we die for our country on the orders of our CO. We will take sweets from him and him alone. Please give it through him. After retirement, we join ongoing agitations, looking for lost opportunities, which serves no purpose.
MPs/MLAs take perks as their birth right boldly because they have the power to topple governments. They demand and get, if not they change parties and join to topple the government. The Army does not topple the government so why crib? Pakistan & Myanmar army does not crib because the system is with them.
If a Field Marshal or the three Chiefs of those times could not prevail in preventing the 3rd CPC reducing the scale of pensions from 70% to 50% and the Field Marshal could not get his own pay; why blame politicians so and so. Is there even a single MP elected by ex-servicemen vote who will have one vote to topple the government? The Vajpayee government fell by one vote.
Home Minister gives welfare doles to paramilitary forces, one after the other, because they make his party win/lose.
I suggest people like you, Maj Ravindran and Maj Dhanapalan write to tell ex-servicemen to either boycott future elections or vote for NOTA. Automatically armed forces will get something before what government intends giving to other organisations. I say so after seeing the Supreme Court's attitude in OROP pending Petition. Maj Dhanapalan got Rank pay resolved from Kerala High court. Elections and Vote is the solution, not the agitation when the arrogant government is not even listening to the agitating Farmers.
Pointwise Comments/Clarification from the Author
“Maj Ravindran deserves compliments for putting across clearly that 'Armed Forces are the victim of the System'. I think the script and the comments are inbuilt. However, I feel the following reasons for the victimhood. We chose armed forces as a profession voluntarily. There is a exit door always open which we don't/didn't see; why? Even FM Sam, supposedly extraordinarily strong military leader could tell! He too was victim of the system.”
Author’s Remarks: “The exit door? As an officer it is available only after 20 years and as a sepoy only after 17 years. And what is the scope for getting a job in civil in a comparable position and adapting to it? Even within the army, on re-employment, an officer had been employed only in a captain's vacancy and when I joined my first unit, these officers had to wear even the rank badges of a Captain. It was much later that re employed officers have been allowed to wear the badges of their last rank held. But even then, they have been employed in positions tenable by Capts (and Majors?).
“But do they continue to draw the pay of their earlier rank? In this context a comparison with the IAS is inevitable. Take the case of status of information commissioners under the RTI Act. For a job that is simpler than that of a munsif in our judiciary, their status, pay and perks had been equivalent to that of the Chief Election Commissioner, Election Commissioner and The Chief Secretary to the State Governments. And who are usually appointed as these info commissioners? Retired bureaucrats, mostly from the IAS and IPS.
“The first Chief IC at Central Info Commn was Wajahat Habibullah, a former Secy to the GoI; the first CIC in Kerala was its Chief Secy, the next two had been DGP) And the stupidity without bounds of these ICs had been exposed abundantly and I had complained to the Prez and the Governor respectively to remove them. But nothing happened. Thankfully, Modi had brought these statuses to that of Addl Secys.
“I can take some credit as I had been the only one harping on the job requirement vs status since 2007, when I could organise a protest with 12 others, against the subversion of the law by the ICs. You may see my blog.
“So, we are at the PM's mercy for everything.”
Author’s Remarks: “A legacy of Nehru, who has been projected wrongly as an epitome of democratic values. And wasn't his daughter known as the only man in her Cabinet?”
“He/She can give rations to officers or can deny them whenever wishes to. The Defence Minister sacks a naval Chief, the system does not hold the naval chief's hand. System gives NFU to whomsoever it wants. System sends us home at a young age, we run from pillar to post for our dues/rights, the nation doesn't care.”
Author’s Remark: “I had read a report of Gen Padmanabhan, COAS, when he retired, got his ration card after 6 months of effort!”
“Maj Ravindran is right, Soldiers are eulogised during war but during peace nation finds faults with armed forces and starts belittling it.”
Author’s Remark: “Not the nation per se, but the decision makers and the tukde tukde gangs)”
“System again.”
Author’s Remark: “Yes, it is the system that again lets an IAS guy from Punjab, on election observer duties to Quilon in Kerala goes to play golf to Thiruvananthapuram, and when a hue and cry is raised, is just sent back to his parent cadre. Legally they are under the administrative and disciplinary control of the Elections Commissions but when the ECs are themselves former babus why bother?”
“PM Modi's gives Ladoos to soldiers in field on Diwali. It is hypocrisy at its best. With the Ladoos, has he ever given any other welfare tonic, even a little bit except lies that OROP has been given? Why should soldiers itch to get a Ladoo from Him. He should be told by them that we die for our country on the orders of our CO. We will take Ladoos from him and mim alone. Please give it through him. Nor does any officer do. After retirement, we join ongoing agitations, looking for lost opportunities, which serves no purpose.”
Author’s Remark: “But protesting is a democratic right, isn't it? But practically, it is just a vent for pending up frustration. If anything, peaceful protests after 1947 has only called the bluff that we got freedom through an ahimsa movement.”
“MPS/MLAs take perks as their birth right boldly because they have the power to topple govts. They demand and get, if not they change parties and join to topple the govt. Army doesn't topple the govt so why crib.”
Author’s Remark: “The whole election process beginning with selection/nomination of candidates is a farce. It will require at least another full article to dwell on.”
“Pak & Myanmar army does not crib because the system is with them. If a Field Marshal could not prevail in preventing the 3rd CPC reducing the scale of pensions from 70% to 50%.”
Authors’ Remark: “Sorry, it was not during Manekshaw’s time that the this down gradation took place. It was after his retirement”
“and couldn't get his own pay”
Author’s Remark: “here, he can be pardoned, because he would have felt it belittling to fight for his dues. And we all know the controversy around his joke on the result of 71 ops if he had been with Pak army.”
“why blame politicians so and so. Is there even a single MP elected by ex-servicemen who will have voted to topple the govt? Vajpayee govt fell by one vote. Home Minister gives welfare doles to paramilitary forces one after the other,”
Author’s Remark: “true, look at all the additional benefits that were given post Pulwama and look at his performance as the RM now. With the flood of information don't our troops notice this 'nepotism'?”
“because they make his party win/lose. I suggest people like you, Maj Ravindran and Maj Dhanapalan* write to tell ex-servicemen to either boycott future elections or vote for NOTA”
Author’s Remark: “No use of NOTA, because the original proposal that if NOTA gets majority none of the candidates who had contested would be eligible to contest subsequent election was not included in the law.”
“Automatically armed forces will get something before what govt intends giving to other organisations. I say so after seeing the Supreme Court's attitude in OROP pending Petition. Maj Dhanapalan got Rank pay resolved from Kerala High court. Elections and Vote is the solution,”
Author’s Remark: “they certainly are. But do we know how many soldiers get to vote in their places of posting, as has been made possible now?”
“not the agitation when the arrogant govt is not even listening to the agitating Farmers”
Author’s Remark: “This is a major point of disagreement. I am with the Modi govt in this matter. The reforms are positive but being distorted by politicians and their sidekicks who have been acting as middlemen and reaping profits while the genuine farmers have been committing suicide.
“Unfortunately, Maj Dhanapalan had to fight his Rank Pay case alone. He could not get even a single co petitioner. And I had to stage a one man protest when the then RM, A K Antony, visited my hometown for some function. I could not get a single veteran organisation to join me, though there is no dearth of such organisation in my native town. And it was harrowing time going through the judicial process alone.”
Response: I am witness to Maj Dhanapalan raising Rank Pay anomaly with Gen Sunderji at Pune. Gen Sunderji had come to review NDA POP in 1986/87. He addressed officers in CME Auditorium which I attended. Before that Maj Gen Harbhajan Singh of Signals , who was Armed Forces rep to present case to CPC. he gave a detailed powerpoint presentation.
Maj Dhanapalan tried to explain that we were losers by this fake benefit. Sensing truth and cheated by CPC, he asked him to meet him after the event. What transpired is not known. I think Chief could not get it rectified and hence Maj Dhanapalan had to go to Kerala HC and get relief to the benefit of us all. He too deserves to be complimented. Such officers are becoming rare.
Brig Pradeep Sharma (Retd), ex NSG (SAG), DS AWC, Analyst
True! Fact is that the military leadership which should be looking after organisational interests, lack unity, therefore, the Armed Forces suffer not only in terms of money but status, image, self-esteem, and equipment. This is not confined to the men in uniform alone but percolates down to families too, poor housing being one area amongst a long list.
When my Father was commissioned, the DC would come to the Club, request all officers desirous of getting arm license or driving licenses renewed to send the documents through their bearer that was the respect given by civil services. Look at where we are now! Even courts pay scant regards to our cases, NFFU & OROP are examples. Less said the better.
Pointwise Comments/Clarification from the Author
“True! Fact is that the military leadership who should be looking after organisational interests, lack unity, therefore, the Armed Forces suffer not only in terms of money but status, image, Self-esteem and equipment.”
Author’s Remark: “Unity in armed forces? Can one think of a better united organisation than the armed forces? Unfortunately, the one man at the top is enabled to compromise on anything and everything, including organisational interests.”
Counter Response: “The response to my post cannot be borne as correct. It's not one man at the Top alone who has been responsible, in case he refers to the CDS there are 3 Chiefs too & we must recall what happened in the Vishnu Bhagwat episode! The Armed Forces unlike the IAS/IPS, etc., cannot form a union or an association, all ESM associations are at loggerheads, therefore lack unity. If we cannot take a stand while in harness and do not stand united post superannuation, there can be no hope”
“This is not confined to the men in uniform alone but percolates down to families too, poor housing being one area amongst a long list. When my Father was commissioned, the DC would come to the Club, request all officers desirous of getting arm license or driving licenses renewed to send the documents through their bearer, that was the respect given by civil services. Look at where we are now!” Even courts pay scant regards to our cases, NFFU & OROP are examples. Less said the better.”
Author’s Remark: “What about Rank Pay, which is a 100 percent entitlement? Any reason why the arrears from 1/1/1986 to 31/12/2005 was denied? Worse, any babu, responsible for the fraud punished? Compare that with the Sahara case and Subroto Roy being sent to prison for not paying back almost 25,000 Cr to 1000s of depositors, in a jiffy?”
Brig. Sarvesh D Dangwal (Retd), ex-Comdt AIPT & DDGPT
It is factual and the situation we find ourselves in is partly driven by the politico - bureaucratic nexus and mostly our very own leadership at the apex level. It requires a holistic reappraisal of the situation and is unlikely to happen with any military dispensation driving it. With our courtier generals and their equivalents in the sister services of the armed forces, the drivers of change are themselves steeped in playing dumb charade with the Government of the day.
Therefore, there is not much hope, which can come from within to improve the situation. The only chances of anything positive happening to improve the situation will come from the resumption of salami slicing by Xi Jinping.
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The editorial team at ‘Mission Victory India’, invites responses for the purposes of furthering this debate. Views, based on your professional experiences may be sent at: [email protected]
(Views expressed are the respondents own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Mission Victory India)
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