VERY IMPORTANT INPUTS - KIND COURTESY ADMIRAL ARUN PRAKASH, FORMER CNS - "REPORT MY SIGNAL" - EMAIL 131/2011 - 31 MAR 2011 (LIST-1)

From: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Sent: Friday, April 01, 2011 8:55 AM

Subject: RE: VERY IMPORTANT INPUTS - KIND COURTESY ADMIRAL ARUN PRAKASH, FORMER CNS - "REPORT MY SIGNAL" - EMAIL 131/2011 - 31 MAR 2011 (LIST-1)

I had met PM on this issue on the 16^th March and he had said OROP is difficult because of the IAS opposition to it. I had again emphasized the very different situations and the increasing alienation of this large group of people. He had shown some softening on it. Lets hope.

RC

From: MKC [mailto:mkcgrd@yahoo.co.uk]
Sent: Friday, April 01, 2011 6:03 AM
To: mon
Subject: VERY IMPORTANT INPUTS - KIND COURTESY ADMIRAL ARUN PRAKASH, FORMER CNS - "REPORT MY SIGNAL" - EMAIL 131/2011 - 31 MAR 2011 (LIST-1)

Worth some serious reading, coming from the family of two brothers, in two arms of the defence services, one an Ex CNS.......

VETERANS' CAUSE

1. First of all, a 'real life' occurrence, which may be of some interest for us Veterans.

2. I learn reliably, that on 26 March, 2011, at a meeting, a retired Service Chief made a point to the National Security Adviser (NSA), about the Veterans' grievances in the following terms, in the context of our National Security :-

· The alienation of over 2.5 million Veterans is an unnecessary and gratuitous injury that the Government of India is inflicting on itself, because the Armed Forces and their veterans are the strongest upholders of democracy, secularism and the Nation's integrity.

· At this point of time, their dismay originates from two causes. Firstly the insistence of the bureaucracy in contesting every single verdict delivered in favour of ESM by the courts of justice, and then blatantly disregarding verdicts given by the Apex court; secondly the refusal of the Supreme Commander to meet the ESM, while she sees all and sundry, every day !

· The ESM are well connected and in continuous communication with each other. They are also fathers, brothers, uncles and kinsmen of Servicemen and the unhappiness is likely to spread if it hasn't already. This must be seen in the context of the turbulence spreading all round today's world.

· An instant resolution of problems may not be possible, but accord of official recognition IS !

3. It seems that there was no reaction from the NSA to the above projection. However two days later, on 29 March, after the conclusion of a formal meeting of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) with the Prime Minister, to the surprise of the ex-Service Chief (an NSAB member), the NSA motioned him over and told the PM that the ex-Chief wanted a word with him. The PM then invited the latter over to his office and listened to him for about 15 minutes on the Veterans' issues. Ex-Chief's briefing was essentially based upon what is listed above, and surprisingly the PM seemed to agree that ESM were being aggravated, unnecessarily ! But he remarked that "politicians have gone out of their way to make concessions to the ESM", to which the response given was that the implementation was with the Committee of Secretaries and there was a wide-spread apprehension that the Bureaucracy was "up to no good". To the suggestion that the President could give some of her time to meet an ESM delegation, the PM responded that "they want to return their medals, and we cannot have that" ! So the ex-Chief suggested that a few Veterans' representatives could meet the President and hand-over a petition. He seemed to concur with this suggestion. The PM also said that there is a specific department, entirely devoted to the welfare of the ESM, to which the Interlocutor responded by clarifying that this Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (DESW) was entirely staffed by the same set of bureaucrats, who specialise in negativism and obstruction, as far as ESM interests are concerned and needed to be staffed on the same pattern as institutions like Minority Commission etc, ie, primarily by the people whose interests are to be safe-guarded. Overall, the PM was kind and courteous and seemed positive about what the ex-Chief said. What the eventual outcome (if any) of this positive discussion would be, remains a matter of conjecture in our sort of polity.

4. That brings me to express an entirely personal opinion, which may not be popular in the current ambiance. After the recent publication of the letter, written to the head of a political party and the PM by Lt Gen SK Bahri (Retd), some of our comrades-in-arms have copiously hinted and suggested that retired Service Chiefs and Lt Gens are "shirkers" as they are not participating in the ongoing Veterans' struggle for justice, and are ingrates in fact, for not returning the favour of lower ranks, for having made them the Chiefs and Generals !!! I humbly suggest that while sincere passion and vehemence do help a cause, but should we forget that we are the Indian Armed Forces Veterans, trying to get justice and NOT a budding "Jasmine Revolution" ! What I know from my short spell in uniform is that Service Chiefs rise basically on their own merit plus seniority (with rare exceptions to prove the rule) and not by popular acclamation of the 'General Body' of Armed Forces ! Let us continue to treat our Chiefs with respect and courtesy, as an institution, as much as we treat the Forces they command as an institution. I do not think it will strengthen our cause, or add dignity to it, if all the ex-Service Chiefs joined-in at Jantar Mantar or shouted slogans on the road; the contrary perhaps ! While as a Veteran, I do feel a deep sense of injustice and grievance vis a vis behavior of today's political dispensation towards us soldiers, and Internet does provide me very ready means to "shoot from the hip", loyalty to the Institution and to comrades-in-arms should still restrain me from excoriating and condemning a whole set of people en bloc, who constitute the key-stone of the Military edifice, when I do not know what each individual thinks or is doing (or has done). We soldiers ought to retain and maintain faith amongst ourselves, or we become a rabble !

5. Though our highest Judiciary acknowledges Chankaya's admonition to the Maurayan State about how its soldiers are to be treated, regretfully our Polity seems to treat it as a joke ! I know of a respected ex- Army Chief who strongly took up the issue of distortions in the 6th CPC recommendations with the highest quarters but was given an entirely 'cold shoulder' at that time. I have also culled from my computer, a letter to the PM by another ex-Chief , written when the 6th CPC report came out (without even an acknowledgment till now) plus a series of four published articles, which touch upon the theme dealt with by General Bahri and subsequently at the PM's meeting on 29 March (please see the attachments). These remain of relevance even today.

6. IESM, with its imaginative and untiring efforts for last three years has certainly succeeded in bringing to fore, the Veterans' cause and sensitised our polity to it. But any contribution by other means, also helps the cause further. It is here that our retired senior officers, can contribute, whatever they can, collectively and/or individually, according to their ingenuity and resource.

7. In the first instance, the foregoing remains a personal communication, and NOT for the 'RmS' as such.

Sincerely,

Rajendra Prakash,

Dehradun.

( Maj Gen Rajendra Prakash, Artillery, Dec 1950 seniority, Former GOC UP Area. He is elder brother of Admiral Arun Prakash, Former Naval Chief.
Gen Prakash came all the way from Dehra Dun to Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, to mark his attendence during the very first IESM Rally at Jantar Mantar.

Admiral Prakash was also among the very first Military Vetetrans to send contributions to IESM.)

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THE CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER FROM 6^th CPC

by

Adm. Arun Prakash (Retd)

The “blame-game” which has inevitably reared its ugly head in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks instantly reminded me of the fervent appeals of three successive Chiefs of R&AW to Naval HQ, in recent years, to loan them naval officers for analysis of maritime intelligence. They were seriously concerned that they did not have the necessary in-house expertise available to draw the right conclusions and inferences from the mass of information the agency collected from open, human and technical sources. And very correctly they approached the Navy.

Lack of maritime intelligence has also been the Navy’s bane for years, so we understood the handicap R&AW worked under, fully shared their concern, and felt that it was the navy’s duty to help. I recall (as the Chief of Personnel) having personally selected some officers for deputation to R&AW, but to my consternation, I learnt within a few months that most wanted to return to the navy. Before I go any further, let me just say that this piece is not about intelligence failure. It is about a failure on a larger scale which represents an equal degree of danger to the nation.

The naval officers deputed to R&AW did not wish to continue with their deputation (and I learnt that this was not a new phenomenon) because when they were assigned their desks in the Cabinet Secretariat they found to their dismay that they had been placed under officers who were many years their junior in terms of service. Having taken this stoically, they then found that they were deprived of things like telephones, stenographers and transport because the “status” assigned to them did not entitle them to these utilities.

The R&AW authorities were most sympathetic but pleaded that the they were not in a position to alter the equivalences, apparently “laid down” by some Kafkaesque government department like Personnel & Training. Neither pay-scales nor years of service nor any other logic seem to guide this fixation of relativities of Armed Forces officers with civilian counterparts. Everybody seemed to be at liberty to twist rules to ensure that he was always “one up” on the Armed Forces.

It was not that we had not experienced such discrimination earlier - the Service HQ have always been chary of sending their officers on deputation - but I felt that Intelligence was an issue of national importance and certainly worth undergoing some inconvenience. But we found that young naval officers did not share this view; and would accept such assignments only with the utmost reluctance.

I have used this example, only because it is symptomatic of a larger malaise: the lack of coordination between organs of the Government of India (GoI) which has certainly contributed to the recent Mumbai fiasco. This should not come as a surprise because the GoI seems so laissez faire in its approach that it will not intervene to eliminate inter-agency inequity even when it clearly results in crippling disfunctionality, as mentioned above. On the contrary, it is by such acts of omission as well as commission that the GoI has been contributing to steady erosion of the locus standi of the Armed Forces in the national security matrix - to the nation’s detriment.

In a seemingly inexplicable and self-damaging continuum, the GoI appears to have progressively, and with great deliberation proceeded to marginalize, downgrade and degrade its own Armed Forces, thus undermining the security of the Indian State as surely as the nation’s worst enemy. This is a process that has been underway since independence, and it is the perception of the Armed Forces that every pay commission has contributed to it. Confirming this suspicion is the fact that representation in pay commissions has been consistently denied to the Armed Forces, without assigning any reason. At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, I would venture to state that the proverbial last straw may have been added by the 6^th Central Pay Commission (CPC).

Today, there is a distinct impression that the CPC has erred grievously on many issues relating to the Armed Forces because they were not represented in the commission, and its recommendations have spread confusion and consternation. One of the most serious consequences (whether intended or not) is the sudden and arbitrary alteration of relativities between the Armed Forces and their civilian counterparts, to the detriment of the former.

The steady downward slide of the Armed Forces, over the years, on the Warrant of Precedence totem pole may be a great irritant, but this document is only of ceremonial significance. Of all the deleterious effects of the 6^th CPC, it is the change in relationships between the Armed Forces and para-militaries that has the gravest operational implications which do not seem to have been understood at all at the political level. It should be clear to everyone that in the present scenario, any (further) deterioration in the Army-BSF or Navy-Coast Guard working/operational relationship will only work to the benefit of our enemies.

The ex-Servicemen (ESM) are completely stunned to see the number of anomalies thrown up by the CPC. This confusion has been further compounded by different interpretations being put out in successive letters by the Controller of Defence Accounts (CDA). To take just one example: the CDA first fixed the pensions of a Lieutenant-General, Major-General and Brigadier at exactly the same figure, with a Colonel receiving just one hundred rupees less. According to a second letter, a Colonel and Brigadier will draw higher pension than a Major General and a Lieutenant General. No one understands by what earthly logic has guided the 6^th CPC and the CDA!

The GoI has yet again rejected the “one rank on pension” demand, but not even a feeble attempt has been made to bridge the yawning gap between today’s and yesterday’s pensioners of the same rank. There is also a distinct impression that the CPC recommendations have been fiddled with, and even changed by the bureaucracy, without due authorization at the political level. Such is the level of discontent and strength of feelings that veterans are resorting to hunger strikes; something that would have earlier been unthinkable in the Armed Forces ethos.

The most logical way to avoid this confusion and the resultant sense of grievance in the armed forces and the ESM would have been to place a Service representative, if not in the CPC, then in the Review Committee. Either the committee would have convinced this representative of the appropriateness of the issues or the other way round; thus avoiding controversy, speculation and unhappiness. A few retired Service Chiefs (including this writer) had written to the PM to accord this concession but the appeal remained unanswered.

What people have either not understood, or are imprudently ignoring, is the fact that the CPC recommendations (and subsequent developments) are causing deep resentment, because they strike, not at the monetary status of the Services and the ESM, but at their standing relative to the other central services. The Armed Forces just cannot understand (nor has anyone explained to them) why it was necessary to cut them down, yet again, a few notches relative to the police or the civil services at this particular junction. This severe blow to their “izzat” appears illogical and incomprehensible.

If there is indeed a sound rationale for the down-gradation of the Armed Forces, the Government must share it with them, and with the nation. Most importantly, the impression that the current imbroglio is the result of machinations of the bureaucracy, if untrue, must be dispelled, and it must be made amply clear that this decision emanates from the GoI.

Spreading unhappiness, discontent and confusion amongst the nation’s Armed Forces or demoralizing them, and the 2-3 million strong ESM community does not serve the national interest.

Should someone in authority not sit up and take notice?

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WHILE WE SLEPT:

POLITICIZATION OF INDIA’S ARMED FORCES

Adm. Arun Prakash (Retd)

The recent displays of blatant praetorianism across our eastern and western borders have served to confirm that the Indian Armed Forces are truly the sole sub-continental inheritors of the priceless apolitical tradition bequeathed by their British progenitors. Armies are sent into battle only when statesmen and diplomats have been unsuccessful in ensuring peace. Our Armed Forces have not only fought gallantly on the battlefield but consistently and impartially upheld India’s integrity and secular democratic tradition, when all others have failed the nation.

Their darkest hour occurred in the wake of Operation Blue Star; an unseen internal crisis which threatened to rend the taut fabric of discipline and loyalty which binds together our magnificent Army. The manner in which it contained and defused this calamity will remain another (untold) saga of outstanding military leadership.

This monastic devotion to discipline is the reason that Subhash Bose’s Indian National Army and the Free Indian Legion are, till today, spoken of in hushed tones in the Service environment. The exact details of the 1942 Royal Indian Navy mutiny (even though it imparted a decisive impetus to the freedom movement) will forever remain confined to confidential volumes kept under lock and key on board every warship. Similarly, public expressions of defiance like hunger-strikes, dharnas, marches and demonstrations by civilians cause acute discomfort to the soldier, sailor and airman because they run contrary to the essence of all that he has been ever taught: unquestioning respect and obedience of lawful authority.

Once he doffs his uniform, an ex-Serviceman (ESM) is technically liberated from the restraints of military discipline, and is free to adopt the demeanor and behaviour of any civilian on the street. But deep inside, his soul cringes at the very thought of conducting himself in a manner which would have brought disrepute to his uniform, unit or Service.

Why then did our ESM start resorting to demonstrations in April 2008, in the heart of the national capital as well as in many states? Why did they thereafter graduate to relay fasts at Jantar Mantar? And why are they now surrendering their precious medals to low level functionaries in Rashtrapati Bhavan?. Although they have conducted themselves in a most dignified and orderly manner, the very fact that veterans ranging from Generals to Jawans have been marching on the streets and squatting on footpaths has sent shock waves throughout the Services community; even if the media and our fellow citizens have largely ignored this disturbing development.

I am not about to argue the case of the ESM, but a brief summary of events would help to orient the reader. In early-2006 when the 6^th Central Pay Commission (CPC) loomed into sight, the Service Chiefs, individually and collectively, through the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC), appealed to the Raksha Mantri, on the basis of bitter past experience, that a Service member be included in the CPC. This request having been declined, when the CPC Report was released in 2008, the Services found to their dismay that the recommendations expectedly contained many glaring anomalies impacting adversely on serving personnel as well as ESM.

At the persistent urgings of the Service Chiefs, a Review Committee was constituted; ironically yet again bereft of a Service representative. The Review Committee aggravated the anomalous situation by arbitrarily making some further unwarranted modifications. A series of instructions were issued by the Defence Accounts and pension disbursing authorities which were self-contradictory and compounded the prevailing confusion as well as unhappiness. While the Chairman COSC took up the issues relating to serving personnel with the Government, the ESM became convinced that since no one was listening to them, they had no choice but to adopt agitational methods. They have, therefore, taken to the streets since April 2008.

Military veterans, world-wide are objects of spontaneous respect, affection and admiration because they are national symbols of courage, patriotism and sacrifice; a segment deserving of special consideration by the Government. The grievances of our ESM, should, therefore, have been handled with far more sensitivity and responsiveness, than they actually were.

The current ESM movement has been able to mobilize opinion country-wide and gather self-sustaining momentum, mainly due to connectivity provided by the Internet and cellular phone networks. While the MoD seems to have adopted a disdainful and detached stance towards their grievances, the ESM roll-on agenda now encompasses canvassing political support for their cause, and even the formation of an ESM political party which will put up candidates for the forthcoming General Elections.

Thus it is now obvious that, while the nation slept, the process of “politicization” of our Armed Forces is well under way, if not complete. The 6^th CPC has also inflicted serious collateral damage by deepening the existing civil-military chasm and thereby further slowing down the languid functioning of the MoD.

As a former Army Chief has pointed out, the ESM retain “an umbilical connection” with the serving personnel; they hail from the same regions or neighbouring villages and often belong to the same extended family, whom they meet when on leave. In any case, the Services and ESM constitute one big family. No one should have any doubts that the essence of whatever happens at Jantar Mantar or India Gate will slowly but surely filter back by a process of “reverse osmosis” to the men in uniform.

Even if the politicians and bureaucrats do not care, the nation’s intelligentsia (where are they?) need to introspect. Does the nation want proud, independent and self-respecting Armed Forces who live by the professional soldiers’ honour code and die unquestioningly for their country; or do we want their soldiers tainted with the stain of “politics”. Were this to happen – even by default – it would constitute the most grievous injury to be needlessly inflicted on itself by the Indian state.

India’s democracy requires that the Armed Forces must be restored to their original pristine state at the earliest; detached from politics, and focused on the profession of arms. The first step is to remove the ESM from the streets, and the best means would be to constitute a multi-party Parliamentary Commission (what is termed a Blue Ribbon Commission in the UK), and NOT another committee of bureaucrats, to examine and address the full gamut of issues.

This can be done right now, because the election Model Code does not come in the way.

-February 2009

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“…EVEN TO THE PERIL OF MY LIFE”:

ARE WE SHOWING DISDAIN FOR OUR VETERANS?

Adm. Arun Prakash (Retd)

“You have answered the trumpet call, and the whole of America is grateful and filled with admiration. I salute you and thank you for your service…I consider myself personally responsible for each and every one of you as though you were my own sons and daughters....”

-Secretary of Defence Robert Gates at the U.S. Naval Academy in April 2010

Our MPs celebrated the unanimous passage of the bill for three-fold enhancement of their pay and perks with yet another undignified rampage in the well of the House. One was struck by the stark contrast between the facile manner in which our elected representatives approved their own pay rise, and the disdain with which the bureaucracy and politicians have been treating the pleas of ex-Servicemen, the nation’s war-wounded and the widows of soldiers; for their just dues of pension and allowances.

Once he doffs his uniform, an ex-Serviceman (now re-designated Armed Forces Veteran) is technically liberated from the restraints of military discipline, and is free to adopt the demeanor and behaviour of any civilian on the street. But deep inside, the Veteran’s soul cringes at the thought of conducting himself in a manner which, in earlier days, he would have associated with civilian agitators and unbecoming of his uniform. But it seems that he has been left with no choice.

He has found that the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, created in 2004, is staffed 100% by civilians, who either do not comprehend, or are indifferent to his problems. Therefore his representations to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) gather dust for years, before being dismissed in a perfunctory and bureaucratic manner. One rank one pension (OROP) has been a major demand of the Veterans, which has been hanging fire with the government for many years. Assurances have been given by successive governments – only to be reneged upon.

Despite repeated pleas by the Chiefs of Staff, based on bitter experience of the past, the government in 2005 adamantly refused to appoint a Service representative on the 6^th Central Pay Commission (CPC). As expected, the Commission’s report contained flaws, anomalies and, as some believe, many provisions deliberately incorporated by the bureaucracy to depress the pay and status of armed forces personnel vis-à-vis their civilian counterparts. At the repeated behest of the Chiefs, the government reluctantly convened a committee to review the anomalous CPC recommendations; again, inexplicably, without any armed forces representation. Predictably the committee failed to resolve many tangles and left the serving as well as retired personnel dissatisfied.

On a number of issues relating to pension and allowances the Veterans found that they had no choice but to approach courts of law. After years of expensive litigation the courts did give redressal, but the MoD fought them tooth and nail through appeals to higher courts. In two instances where the Supreme Court eventually gave decisions in the Veteran’s favour, the GoI has perversely refused to implement them! This bizarre sequence is seen by many Veterans, rightly or wrongly, as a blunt expression of contempt by the GoI.

In April 2008, the frustrated Veterans started resorting to demonstrations in the heart of the national capital, as well as in many states to press their demands. Then they graduated to “relay fasts” at Jantar Mantar, and this was followed by the melodramatic gesture of signing petitions in blood. The participants in all these activities ranged from retired jawans and JCOs to General Officers, who braved the bitter cold, blistering sun and rain to convey their unhappiness in public. When the government studiously ignored their pleas, they thought that they would take the “ultimate step”, by surrendering their hard-earned and battle-stained medals to the Supreme Commander; the President of India.

Every commissioned officer of the Indian armed forces swears an Oath of Allegiance which contains the words: “…that I will obey all commands of the President of the Union of India…..even to the peril of my life…” The Veterans were confident that the exalted dignitary, unto whom they had symbolically sworn this blood-oath, at a tender age, would be deeply concerned that the nation’s soldier, sailors and airmen were driven to such an extremity. After all this solemn pledge is redeemed almost every day by their comrades who make the supreme sacrifice to defend the Motherland…even to the peril of their lives.

But they were shaken to the core at the treatment accorded to successive delegations of Veterans which arrived at the portals of Rashtrapati Bhavan to surrender their medals to the Supreme Commander. They were met by low level functionaries who received their medals and sent them away. The medals were then packed in cardboard boxes and sent off to the MoD to be stored in a dusty basement.

The Rashtrapati Bhavan appointment diaries will, on any day, show that dozens of citizens from every walk of life in this great democracy are freely granted audiences with their President. The Supreme Commander of the Indian armed forces has, for two years, not deemed it appropriate to spare a few minutes to meet the venerable Generals and Subedar-Majors who had come to her doorstep; men who have spilt blood on the nation’s battlefields. It is a depressing commentary on the standing of the armed forces in India. The cue has, obviously, been provided by the political establishment which has shown equal disregard and disrespect for the nation’s loyal and patriotic Veterans.

The US President misses no possible opportunity to repeatedly convey gratitude to the nation’s Servicemen for defending the country’s freedom and for making sacrifices in its cause. Since assuming office Barak Obama has made it a point to review the passing-out parades at every Service academy. He has used each occasion to make important national policy statements while addressing the Cadets and Midshipmen; such is the regard and respect that the USA holds its Servicemen in.

Like every year, on 15^th August 2010 too, all Veterans listened raptly to the PM addressing the nation from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort. But we listened in vain. He spoke of many issues but there was not a word about the armed forces; no mention of those who died in action or those maimed for life, or the widows, orphans and grieving parents our soldiers leave behind, ever so often.

The world over, military veterans, are objects of spontaneous respect, affection and admiration because, like the flag, they are national symbols of courage, patriotism and sacrifice; a segment deserving of special consideration by the people and the government. The nation’s 30 lakh Veterans retain an umbilical connection with the serving personnel; they hail from the same regions or neighbouring villages, and many come from extended families, whom they meet when on leave. Every Serviceman knows that in a few years he will become a Veteran too.

During the last general elections, an attempt was, inevitably, made to politicize Veterans issues, and seek support of one political party or the other. In this age of electronic media, the essence of whatever happens at Jantar Mantar, India Gate or Rashtrapati Bhavan is seen and heard almost instantly by the Jawans serving at the front-line.

India’s democracy requires that the armed forces must retain their dignity, pride and intense professionalism. They must remain detached and totally insulated from politics. The grievances of our Veterans should, therefore, be handled with far more sensitivity and responsiveness, than they have so far been. The need of the hour is to defuse their sense of deep hurt and resentment at the seeming neglect by the government. In a democracy this is easily done – by discussion and dialogue.

It was a grave mistake to have allowed our Veterans to take to the streets, and we must remedy it at the earliest. The best means would be to constitute a multi-party Parliamentary Commission to examine and address the full gamut of Veterans’ issues and grievances on a long-term basis.

THE END