by Jay Bhattacharjee
Forward by the Author
“My article
on the OROP saga was published today in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS.
A dear friend, a
distinguished Army veteran, circulated the piece, early this morning, to a
large number of people and some of them, in turn, have also forwarded it.
Therefore, you may have already received it ; please accept my apologies, if
this is so.
Two weeks ago, I wrote on
the wider subject of our armed forces being treated very shabbily, in general,
by the babu-neta combine. This is an issue that moves me a
lot.
Jay Bhattacharjee”
Parrikar’s
Strange Arithmetic Leaves Soldiers Shortchanged
There have been innumerable definitions of politics since societies and
countries started their experiments of governing themselves. Alexander
Hamilton’s assessment, however, has stood the test of time and remains ever
relevant. Hamilton, one of the founding parents of the US, among many other
achievements, pithily remarked, “Those who stand for nothing fall for
anything.”
Watching the tortuous saga of the decision-making process on Raisina Hill
on the issue of granting One-Rank-One-Pension (OROP) for the nation’s
armed forces, any observer would be tempted to remind India’s two top
decision-makers of Hamilton’s adage. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and one of
his key Cabinet colleagues, Raksha Mantri (RM) Manohar Parrikar, freshly
anointed to this key position, need to be told some home truths, though this
writer, for one, finds it rather painful to do so.
To start with, Modi made OROP one of his key election promises as early
as in August 2013. Thereafter, OROP was featured in the BJP election manifesto
and the Prime Minister has, in recent months, repeatedly assured the armed
forces and the country that this much-needed policy would be implemented soon.
When Parrikar’s appointment as the full-time Defence Minister came through a
few months ago, India heaved a sigh of relief, since the short-lived experiment
of having Arun Jaitley as a part-time RM was an unmitigated disaster.
In addition, Parrikar came to Delhi with a well-deserved reputation as an
effective and above-board CM of Goa. He was said to have been a major figure
behind the resurrection of the BJP in the western state. Many incidents of his
no-nonsense style of working and his spartan conduct in public life (for
example, taking a regular bus from the airport terminal to the aircraft, along
with other passengers) were public knowledge and contributed to expectations
that he would be the proper and effective RM that the country and its military
were looking for. Eight years of A K Antony were more disastrous for our armed
forces and defence sector than anything Pakistan and China could have ever
hoped.
There is, however, something about the air and ambience in Delhi’s
Raisina Hill (with its commanding height of all of 50 feet) that brings out the
worst Faustian instincts in any human being. And, here, we are being very
charitable to the RM Parrikar. To set the record straight, it was Jaitley who
dropped the initial bombshell during one of his periodic sojourns in South
Block, where the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is housed. He grandly remarked that
full OROP was not possible. Before, the veterans, who had gone to meet Jaitley
to press for this decision, could recover from the bombshell, Jaitley had
disappeared.
Then came Parrikar’s bizarre foray into Class 10 arithmetic and his
recent enigmatic pronouncement at a media conclave that only “80 per cent of
OROP will be paid… because there is never 100 per cent in everything”. This
homily would have been appropriate in a Philosophy 101 course in a B-grade
campus, but certainly does not behove the nation’s RM. One could have given
Parrikar the benefit of doubt in this faux pas by blaming the babus and
factotums in the MoD, who are scraping the bottom of the barrel to deny a most
legitimate demand of our armed forces. Parrikar, however, has made no attempt
to either withdraw his egregious statement or clarify what he meant.
It was left to one of the country’s most distinguished soldiers, Lt Gen
Harwant Singh (Retd), to write (with that innate dignity and eloquence that
only our aggrieved warriors can do) that “a concerted and sustained effort has
been made, since Independence, to denigrate the military and strip it of honour
and pride.” As part of this lunatic exercise, and to add insult to injury, the
bean-counters in MoD are now periodically coming up with more and more
concocted figures of the likely cost of OROP to the national exchequer. These
fabricated estimates are gradually being increased, so that both the public
perception and the politicians’ reactions are adversely manipulated.
Does the RM really think that we will buy the idea of an IIT alumnus not
grasping the simple arithmetical sleight of hand that the babus are foisting on
the nation, its RM and its polity? This is not quantum statistics or rocket
science we are discussing in this debate. Many distinguished warriors in the
armed forces, also trained in engineering and mathematics like the RM, have
come up with legitimate and verifiable figures that seem to elude the RM. And
to add to South Block babus’ worst nightmares, any number of financial analysts
in the country will be honoured to assist the RM (pro bono) to arrive at the
right numbers.
And, finally, Mr Parrikar, a venerable and honourable civilisation like
ours does not bargain with its warrior defenders. A PM and his party must
deliver on a sacrosanct electoral promise. Your job is to ensure its full and
speedy implementation. Period.
Jay Bhattacharjee is a Senior Advisor
in Corporate Laws and Finance
By the kind courtesy of Indian Express
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