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| By humiliating General Singh Cong demoralising the Army | | Is Delhi Pursuing Omar Line? | | Rustam
JAMMU, Jan 7: J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah perhaps was the first constitutional authority in the country who openly challenged the Army and put forth demands calculated to make the Army dysfunctional and create a situation under which those defending the borders and maintaining territorial integrity of India after fighting splendidly and making supreme sacrifices would face trails for eliminating and neutralising the enemies of the country. What Omar said and did between October 21 and November 10, 2011 and even thereafter to lower the morale of the Army is too well-known. In fact, his irresponsible, rather provocative, November 9-10, 2011 statement on the Army and the AFSPA would keep the patriotic Indians disturbed for years to come. He had said: "I am not going to entertain no from the Army; I have the power to take a final decision on the AFSPA issue". In other words, he suggested that the Army must fall in line overlooking the vital security concerns. He had taken this stand after he was countered by the Army Generals in the Unified Headquarters meeting, held in Jammu on November 9.
Earlier, Chief of the Army Staff General VK Singh and other Generals had rejected outright the Chief Minister's suggestion regarding revocation of the AFSPA from certain areas saying they would not allow revocation of the AFSPA. They had even said that they would not allow those undermining the institution of Army for political purposes to even tinker with the AFSPA, asserting that the suggestion of the Chief Minister, if accepted, would hamper the counter-insurgency operations and help Pakistan heighten anti-India activities in Kashmir by exporting terrorists and radical Islamists.
One can very easily understand why Omar Abdullah insisted on the revocation of the AFSPA. One would also appreciate the stand of Defence Minister AK Antony on the AFSPA. It was he who openly sided with General VK Singh and rejected out-of-hand the Chief Minister's demand. Important here to note is the fact that Antony took what could be termed as a rational and national stand on the AFSPA overlooking the views of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram. It then appeared that Antony and Singh were on the same page. Unfortunately, however, it was not the case. Actually, things were moving in a different direction: Efforts were on to ensure premature retirement of General Singh, who has done a commendable job, raised the morale of his soldiers and taken action against the corrupt elements, including retired Generals involved in the Adarash Society scam.
According to his matriculation certificate, General Singh, who is hugely popular and the most decorated soldier in the today's Indian Army, was born in 1951. That means he should superannuate in 2013. But the Defence Ministry and Law ministry, which is headed by Salman Khurshid, reportedly want General Singh to demit office in May this year itself for reasons best known to them. It is obvious that the move to oust General Singh enjoys the backing of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and AICC president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. It needs to be underlined that General Singh's school leaving certificate is the basic document for proof of age, which is being questioned by the Defence Ministry and the Law Ministry and the result is the ongoing controversy.
A number of retired Generals have taken on the Union Government and urged it not to undermine the institution of Army by creating controversy over the Army chief's age. They want the Union Government to allow General Singh to complete full term to serve the nation. Their argument is that by creating controversy over the Army chief's age the government is undermining the institution of Army, something that needs to be avoided at any cost as it has national and international ramifications, besides having dangerous ramifications as for as the security of India is concerned.
Brigadier (Retd) SK Chatterji is absolutely right when he says that "for the armed forces, for whom their chiefs have been the sole leader, the age controversy has eroded their confidence in our state" and that "there is a lot at stake in New Delhi for the prestige of the nation's most respected institution: The Indian Army".
Will Antony, who has suddenly become so controversial, would review his stand and end the controversy by making a statement that he feels proud in making an announcement that General Singh would demit office in 2013 and that his ministry as well as Law Ministry committed a grave mistake by not accepting his real date of birth? He and others in the Congress-led UPA Government would do well to appreciate the fact that Kashmir is within India only because of the supreme sacrifices the Army has been making ever since August 1947. He would also do well to recognise that tempers are already running very high across the country because of several acts of omission and commission committed by the government of which he is a part and that any move on the part of the government to humiliate General Singh would only embolden the enemy countries, including Pakistan and China, which are already hatching conspiracies against India to dismember it. The nation just can't afford the rise of a situation under which the Army would suffer erosion in its authority. |
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