Of
Matters Military: New Chief and the Challenges
Major
General Mrinal Suman
Human
memory may be short but institutional memory is eternal and highly sensitive to
all issues that affect its health and standing. Therefore, institutional
history is most unforgiving and never condones any act of transgression that brings
disrepute to its character. Indian army as an institution is proud of its non-partisan
disposition and well-evolved merit-based promotion system.
Devious
tweaking of the system by a parochial Chief to ensure elevation of his protégé
will always be remembered as a black episode in the history of the Indian army.
In a hierarchy based organisation like the army, such transgressions have a complex
cascading effect – the complete line of succession for higher ranks has been
distorted. Many deserving officers have got left out.
End
of May 2012 will see a change of guard at the apex of the Indian army.
Assumption of the appointment by the Chief-designate will mark the triumph
of parochialism over justice. Therefore, he will have to carry the
burden of an acute guilt-complex. He knows that the environment is aware of the
manipulations that facilitated his rise – the current incumbent has been
deceitfully deprived of his full tenure and the careers of many brilliant
officers who could have posed a challenge to his advancement were ruthlessly
ruined.
To
be trusted is the greatest compliment that a leader can earn. It flourishes on the
credibility that a leader enjoys in his command. On the other hand,
partisanship
is an impropriety of the worst kind and erodes credibility of leaders and
undermines their standing in the eyes of the led. Being
a beneficiary of partisan dispensation, the new Chief will have to work hard to
prove his impartial credentials. One wonders as to how he would muster moral courage
to exhort troops to trust the organisation and have faith in the justness of
the system. For a military leader, it is the most unenviable situation to be
in.
Additionally,
the new incumbent will be hard pressed to put up with many disconcerting
situations. How will he face the outgoing Chief to accept the baton?
Similarly, having usurped the appointment that should have rightfully gone to
the Northern Army Commander, it will be tough for him to interact with him.
The
present Chief will be going out on a moral high. Despite a massive slander
campaign launched by the purchased media and some inimical elements, his
reputation as an incorruptible leader and a professionally upright commander
remains intact. Having faced the wrath of a corrupt, manipulated and prejudiced
environment, he will be long remembered for his attempts at cleansing the
system. The new Chief will have to contend with his predecessor’s unblemished
reputation and live up to it.
Two
serious cases are pending finalisation. A writ petition is pending in the Jammu
and Kashmir High Court seeking an enquiry into his alleged involvement in a
fake encounter that resulted in the death of an innocent person. He is also
being accused of command failure during his tenure with the UN peacekeeping
force in Congo and a court of enquiry is in progress. Conviction under either of
the cases will make his position untenable.
Finally,
one wonders if it has ever crossed the mind of the Chief-designate that it
would have been far more honorable to retire as an upright Army Commander than to
become the Chief through questionable means. History will never forget the
conspiracy and the subterfuge that facilitated his elevation – turning the
national motto ‘Satyamev Jayate’ on its head. It should never be forgotten that
when history judges key players in retrospect, it is always unsparing and
ruthless in exposing their misdemeanors.
Just goes to show that you can use the pen as deftly as you wield the sword.
ReplyDeleteSalute to you Sir.
In indian army also this Punjabi corrupt cronies’s THe rot started with Joginder jaswant singh, deepak kapur, now bikram singh and in the future dalbir singh suhag - all of them part of so called sikh/punjabi coterie within the army who are also part of so called 'sucession plan' started by jj singh.
ReplyDeletethe charges of Bikram Singh being relative of PM MMS' wife or close to JJSingh, Montek etc
March,2012..
General V.K. Singh went on the record several days ago to say that the army was waiting for legal orders. Soon after, the sources said, prime minister Manmohan Singh called an emergency meeting and the government decided to appoint Lt General Bikram Singh as the next chief a full 90 days, instead of the requisite 60 days, in advance. General Bikram Singh is said to be close to former Army Chief JJ Singh with both sharing personal relations with the PM.
The Principal Secretary in the PMO, TKA Nair told confidants that VK Singh had to go in May 2012 because the ‘Prime Minister had assured his wife that General Bikram Singh would be the next COAS’. The previous Defence Secretary, Vijay Singh, had in Deepak Kapoor’s time already assured the PMO that the ‘needful had been done’ and that VK Singh would not raise the DOB issue again. That VK Singh would make a few noises and eventually settle for a Governorship or some fancy post-retirement cushy job was a foregone conclusion in the GOI’s thinking.
a former diplomat, KN Singh, blurted out on CNN-IBN that the Prime Minister himself had ‘authorized’ the articles written by the Tribune editor.
In a meeting with the Janata Party president, the Defence Minister admitted that the Prime Minister was calling the shots in the age issue.
The UPA government in its desire to get rid of General Singh, widely recognised in the army as an ‘upright, honest officer’, has left itself wide open.
This diplomat claimed that the unprecedented media campaign against Gen Singh unleashed by a daily newspaper published from the north was with the tacit approval of the PM. A prime minister getting after his own army chief via the media, if true, can happen only in Banana Republics.
The delibrate reduction of the war reserve ammo stocks from 30 days to less than 7 days for most offensive ammo could be a CBM by UPA govt to US as part of stability in South Asia. This way no Cold or Warm start in case of TSP or PRC attack. Indian Army will be a defensive force only. So global stability is assured for the US.
NoBull prize for MMS.( for his treachery against India)
Three of the people who are being blamed, Tejinder Singh, JJ Singh and Gul Panag are Sikhs. That there is a Sikh lobby in the army is no secret. Its also no secret that Punjab politicians actively bat for officers from their states. Even in Vishnu Bhagwat's case, the gentleman gunning for his position and lobbying with Kaka was a Sikh officer.
Does that not amount for Treason and which can be punishable by death?
If it can be proved that MMS deliberately reduced nations war fighting capability, then can he be hanged?
More importantly, it is about a succession plan scripted a few years back (in 2006) by none other than the then army chief-a sikh. The succession script naturally attracted vested interests in the form of politicians, arms merchants, businessmen and other ambitious army officers.