If the
Government aims to divide the veteran community, it must remember that they
have a lot to learn from their masters about communal carnages and insurgencies
It has been more than a month since
the military veteran community commenced its symbolic relay hunger strike at
the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and at other towns across the country to protest
against the delay in implementation of the one-rank-one-pension scheme that had
earlier been accepted by the Government. That Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
his advisors are unmoved by this unprecedented act on the part of those who
have willingly made sacrifices for the security and integrity of this nation,
tells us more about Mr Modi's wisdom, character and statesmanship, or lack
thereof, despite all pretensions and posturing to the contrary. It is worth
remembering that among those fighting for this cause are veterans of all wars
that this country faced since independence.
Symbolism counts, especially in a
poor and developing country like ours. Mr Modi knew about this, and was able to
use it to a great extent on his way to the prime ministership. Unfortunately,
he and his advisors failed to understand one simple truth, that symbolism
without substance is hollow and a sham. It is seen through very quickly. That
it has been an a grievous error of judgment on part of such an astute
politician, is indeed surprising, given the fact that this is one war, he can
never win. In fact, the
bureaucracy has been fighting a rearguard battle ever since the 2009 judgement
by the Supreme Court in the Major General SPS Veins (retired) and others case.
It had then ruled that no defence personnel, senior in rank could get a lower
pension than his junior, irrespective of the date of retirement, and that
similarly placed officers of the same rank should be given the same pension
irrespective of the date of retirement, in effect of the OROP.
That the BJP has nobody but itself
to blame, is obvious as it paints itself as the villain of the piece
haemorrhaging goodwill. That this occurred despite its Government having agreed
to implement the directions of the court as late as February 17 this year,
during the hearing on a contempt petition filed by Major General SPS Veins is
in itself a mystery as well. In another twist to the ongoing saga, media
reports have suggested that Additional Solicitor General, Ms Pinky Anand,
recently informed the court that the centre would grant OROP to the petitioners in
three to four days While one would like to believe that the Government has
learnt its lessons and is now looking to cut its losses and clear up the whole
mess, apprehensions continue to
be expressed that the Government, in another move to delay the inevitable, may
clear OROP scheme for Major Generals only, the petitioners in the case at
point, and thereby attempt to divide the veteran community.
If this were to be the case, then it
may be worth remembering that, while we have certainly picked up the fine art
of dividing from our former masters, we still have a lot to learn from them
about ruling, communal carnages and insurgencies. One can state with absolute
certainty that Mr Modi's actions would then be worse than those of Jawaharlal
Nehru and Krishna Menon, his Defence Minister, which resulted in the 1962
debacle. Not only can it lead to disharmony and finger pointing within the
veteran community and provide support to those within the community, who
believe that only strong action gets the Government to acquiesce, but worse,
adversely impact serving personnel by creating friction within it. By turning
the ethos of service before
self, that has been
the cornerstone of this Army's professional excellence through the years, on
its head; the Government would make the position of the senior hierarchy
morally untenable.
While veteran general officers
affected by such a decision, will in all probability, may refuse to accept
such a decision and can even approach the Supreme Court to modify its direction
to include all affected personnel, thereby avoiding a spate of litigation that
is bound to occur. However, serving officers will not have such a choice and
will be confronted by a moral dilemma not of their making.The
adverse impact of the divide between those eligible for OROP and those who
would miss out is not difficult to foresee. In fact, it certainly is one of the major
factors that impacts the functioning and performance of our central Armed
Forces, where officers from the IPS rule the roost, while the rest are left to
their own devices. The fact that they superannuate at 59 or 60 years of age, is
a saving grace. Surely, even our politicians understand the implications of
reducing our military to such a sorry state.
(The writer is a military
veteran and consultant with the Observer Research Foundation)
Who, PM and FM or their Bureaucrats really carrying the DNAs of irresponsible fools needs to be investigated. That they can not understand the implications of mudding and messing up the whole issue of OROP, when it just can't be denied or delayed for any reason whatsoever, may have on the currently serving soldiers. OMG! Don't spare to punish them for they very well know what they are doing is wrong, immoral, unjustifiable, bad for the defense services thereby bad for the nation, bad for their political future and much more. Wake up Mr PM , wake up MR FM!!!
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