Thursday, 23 July 2015 | Deepak Sinha | in Oped
If the Govt 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 PM 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 PMship. 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 hemorrhaging
goodwill. That this occurred despite its Govt having agreed to implement the
directions of the court as late as Feb 17 this year, during the hearing on a
contempt petition filed by Maj Gen SPS Veins is in itself a mystery as well.
In another twist to the ongoing saga,
media reports have suggested that Addl Solicitor Gen, 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 Govt 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 Govt, in another move to delay the inevitable, may clear
OROP scheme for Maj Gens 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 Govt 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 Govt would
make the position of the senior hierarchy morally untenable.
While veteran General officers
affected by such a decision, will in all probability, could 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 IAS/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 Obse)
(Source- Vasundhra blog)
please send to all exservicemen blogs and PM and Mr Shah for action deemed fit
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