An article sent to some papers on 8 Feb 2012 is reproduced below. It appeared in a Hindi daily 'hari Bhoomi' Feb 10.
The Army in Cross-hair
Last week there was an unfortunate news item. The CBI has filed a charge against a former Vice Chief of Army Staff for an alleged land scam in his earlier tenure in Pune, involving a loss of Rs 46 Crore to the State. This made sensational prime time in almost all the TV channels in the country. Next day the newspapers front-paged the news. It also elicited the inevitable ‘even the Army?’ jibe from the intelligentsia.
The very next day, there were two more similar events that were reported. An IAS Additional Secretary in Bengal had been held for graft allegedly committed during his earlier stint with a PSU. The estimated loss to the exchequer was reported at Rs 125 Crore. Also, a retired Director General of Police in Bihar had his house confiscated because of alleged financial irregularities committed by him during his heyday as head of the police force. However, neither of these two news items found space in the visual media. Even in newspapers these attracted a brief mention on the inside pages. And not a whimper from any other commentator.
Let us suppose for the sake of argument that the above three alleged offenders were real brothers. Would the response of the media and the public have been any different? The answer is an obvious no. The Army is expected to follow and display the highest standards of probity; impeccable in every respect. The institution of the Army enjoys wide respect from the common Indian, even verging on reverence. This of course is how it should be. The Army is our last bastion of hope in times of national trouble and we cannot visualize, leave alone accept it failing or faltering. But that is also taking rather a linear view of the reality.
The strength of a building is judged by the quality of steel, cement and bricks used; the raw material. This is equally true of human institutions. The Army draws its ‘raw material’ from the same source as other institutions in the country. By the time an individual starts wearing the military uniform, his mindset is already conditioned by the environment, by what he has observed and experienced in the society. And seeing the prevailing trends of widespread erosion of values this is largely negative. The Army of course moulds the intake through its traditions and ethos as well as through its strict adherence to high standards of training and discipline. However, while it is possible to mould an individual’s behavior, it is extremely difficult to mould inherent traits of character of an adult. The Army is part of society and has to mirror the prevailing societal trends. Many of us, with our mental calendars locked in a time warp, tend to compare Army of today with the Army that existed 40 or 50 years ago and end up disheartened. That comparison is both unrealistic and unfair. If comparisons have to be resorted to, one should realistically draw parallels between Army and other contemporary institutions. In this sense Army still stays way ahead in relative terms.
There is also a palpable mismatch between our expectations from the Army and our treatment of it. While our expectations are still extraordinary, in many ways we treat them like anyone else, or worse. Take their status for example. They have been constantly brought down. After the latest pay commission, a Lt General is placed below the Director General of Police in a State. A Sepoy is equated with an unskilled labourer. Take also the case of ‘one rank one pension’ (OROP), which is the most visible demand of the day that affects not only the two million veterans but also every serving soldier as he too is a future pensioner. The response of the highest in the land is that if OROP is given to the defence forces, this would have to be given to other employees as well, which then is cited as a reason for denying it to the former. In other words in our treatment we equate the Army with everyone else but in our expectations they become unique, our never-fail asset.
The saving grace about the Army is its sturdy internal structure, which continues to remain its inherent strength. Despite all the scams that have surfaced of late and various other controversies, its performance at the cutting edge continues to remain unaffected. Its image may have taken a beating, its effectiveness remains free of any adverse effect. But let us not make them run on the ‘reserve’ for too long. We need to remember that it is ‘our’ Army and we need it to keep us safe and secure. Let us nurture it and look after its genuine needs and demands on priority. Even the seemingly vast oceans have a finite depth.
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan (Retd)
Former Deputy Chief of Army Staff
--
Best regards,
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan
Chairman IESM
262, Sector - 17A
Gurgaon - 122 001
