GENERAL JJ SINGH CLAIMS THE MODI GOVT HAS GIVEN DEFENCE PERSONNEL OROP, HE DOES NOT REALISE THAT WHAT THEY GAVE IS A LAMEDUCK OROP
G eneral JJ Singh (retd) has decided to take the plunge in the electoral politics of Punjab on an Akali ticket. The general, besides having been the chief of army staff, was also the Arunachal Pradesh governor.
It’s unfortunate that the lure of power and pelf has proved too much for the general to resist. He already seems to have imbibed the political language and tenor when he claims that he will fight the enemy (his opponent Captain Amarinder Singh of the Congress) without pity or remorse and humiliate him (‘Mein ohdi mitti puleet kar dewanga’). Such language and stance is decidedly not befitting a former army chief and a former governor.
General Singh claims that the Modi government has given defence personnel one rank one pension (OROP), and that the Seventh Pay Commission has been favourable to them. Obviously, the general does not seem to know that what the government has given is a lame-duck OROP and veterans continue to protest.
While ex-servicemen roughed it out at Jantar Mantar for over a year and a half, the general did not find it worthwhile to visit them to say that he was with them on their most legitimate demand. Nor did he have anything to say when these veterans were lathicharged, and their war medals pulled off their shirts by the police. These veterans were protesting in a peaceful manner at a place designated by the government and there was no unlawful act on their part.
The general also does not seem to know what injustice the Seventh Pay Commission has done to the defence services; on the contrary, he claims that this commission has done well for them. It would be too much to expect him to be aware that over two dozen anomalies of the Sixth Pay Commission, some decade and half later, are yet to be resolved by this government and that Seventh Pay Commission has added to their woes.
At the time of Sixth Central Pay Commission (CPC), he was the army chief (as also chairman of chiefs of staff committee) when Non Functional Financial Up-Gradation (NFFU) was given by this commission to over 50 central services while leaving the defence services in the cold. When some officers at the Army Headquarters approached him to pitch for grant of NFFU to defence services as well, he is believed to have observed, that if every military officer is to get the same pay and pension (based on length of service) then what is the fun of becoming a general! Maybe he was rewarded with governorship for meekly accepting the anti-defence services dispensation of the 6th CPC.
The sad part is that barring two service chiefs (both from the Indian Navy) no other chief and that includes Gen JJ Singh, has stood by their officers and men and their core interest while dealing with successive pay commissions. Thus, every pay commission has succeeded in dealing a totally unfair hand to defence personnel, both serving and retired. Gen JJ Singh’s claim that he wants to serve the people needs to be assessed against his performance in serving the interest of men under his command.
While he has decided to contest the Punjab elections, he may not be aware that the party on whose ticket he is fighting this election, is aligned with the party in power which is making every effort to deny serving soldiers their fundamental right to cast their vote at the place of their posting. How can a former army chief be so oblivious of such a mischievous move by the government, with which his party is in cahoots?
A delegation of veterans from Chandigarh has taken it upon themselves to dissuade General JJ Singh to stay away from contesting the election or at least not contest against another respected veteran. Maybe the general’s ambition has always had the better of his judgment and nothing will ever dissuade him from taking this electoral plunge. Whether he will win or lose is not clear yet, but he will surely succeed in lowering the stature and standing of the institution of the Chief of the Army Staff.
(The writer is a Chandigarhbased retired army officer. Views expressed are personal)
*GEN JJ SINGH AND A GENTLEMAN !*
– BY LT COL NOEL ELLIS (RETD)
19/I/2017
I was reminded of two movies which have been my long time favourites; one was *“An Officer and a Gentleman”, and the other “Pretty Woman”*. The hero in both is Richard Gere. A poor orphan in the first one and a stinking rich businessman in the other, and in both he proved to be a Gentleman to the core.
In the first he did not quit though his sergeant Major, the Drill instructor grilled him till he almost gave up. _In the other he decided to bring out the best of a lady in Julia Roberts at whatever cost. From being a woman of ill repute to a woman who is the most sophisticated on earth, he taught her to behave like a queen. A big contrast in the story lines but a glaring similarity too. In the end the goal was to make the man and the lady the toughest, mentally, physically and to be at their behavioural best, to be the best in their conduct, and to be proud of whatever they were and are, isn’t it?_
Well, now let me bring in a different tadka of General JJ Singh (Retd) in it. *I am sure half of your mouths flavour would have got spoilt.* Well I am going to discuss a few things of what I see of him on TV now and what I as a veteran feel about it.
*I know I should not discuss such a senior, respectable and honourable officer, who served as my Chief of Army Staff, and later went on to become the honourable Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. I am sure all his details can be seen on Wikipedia. I was awestruck at the decorations he has, besides the ones which come with age and profile of service. He has the PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, Wound Medal and an Officer of the Legion of Honour of France, in all 21 medals and decorations.
I salute you sir. I am sure you would have reached the coveted post of COAS with sheer hard work and toil.* Then you also became Governor of a state due to your knowledge of the intricacies and complexities of things there, I assume. Today, you have decided to enter into the political arena and that too against your rival, an Ex-NDA at that. May be you were a course or two junior to the Capt against whom you have decided to contest elections in Patiala.
Well, how, when why, what of the decision of you joining politics is purely your internal bandobast, but *for me as veteran and mango man, what when why that has gone wrong in the way you conduct yourselves after joining politics has become an issue.*
✅ *The first thing we were taught in NDA was to respect your seniors, right.*
✅ The second thing was obey orders, right. _Today you are not even a second termer in politics, and you are telling a sixth termer who has lived and fought politics all his life, in NDA parlance been even relegated many a times when he lost elections and you are trying to take his place.
You are not even a “Green Horn” where as he in his final term, in fact he is about to pass out and you decide to contest and beat him_. Well I wish you luck. I am sure you are getting into the novices boxing ring where you all hardly know one other. You are raw and are put into the boxing ring against your will. Even if by a far chance should I consider the Captain a novice in the game, he has been a champion boxer in his school, TANNNNN, the gong has been struck sir, box on.
_Last night I was watching a show on NDTV, where you and Sachin Pilot were discussing your “fight” in Patiala. You know what, you are not even fit for novices boxing is my view._
*The way Sachin conducted himself with grace and finesse and mind you with so much of respect for you, not as a rival but because you had been a General, you should be grateful. He laughed at your inexperience and thankfully left you with your pants on*
✅. Sir, one more thing which *the Academy taught us was to be Gentlemen, and I found you to be more of an uncouth person, who suddenly has forgotten all the virtues, values and manners which one has picked up all your lives. Do you remember how the seniors used to treat us? Did you ever utter a word in NDA?* Or were you a sissy, that after every fall in you ran to your Div-O to put that senior up. That is what it appeared to me that after leading an Army and a state, *today you have turned into a sissy of sorts by resorting to hitting below the belt. You are not talking face to face with the Captain; you are giving an opinion or a statement about him in his absence and comparing yourself with Donald Trump.*
_*A gentleman was taught to sort things out face to face, and not use the media as a tool to defame the other person.*_ Let me in the same breadth not give an impression that Capt is my favourite, or I am a congress man. But let me also tell you that you may have joined whichever party; they know they can never win here and shall have this one seat less for sure. *The deposit that you give for this election, the election commission has already started to say cheers and party in anticipation that it shall be forfeited.*
⚠
_The basic principal of fauj, when you went to establish a new post was to recce, familiarise, see the routes of ingress and egress, see your bottle necks, look for cover, camouflage and concealment, cover your approaches based on your priorities, in fact get hold of “Khabar Dushman ki” first. You have got the appreciation totally wrong;_ *instead of digging in you have gone for an attack which is an offensive operation.* So how many marks should the invigilator give you? If you have got the basic funda of which ops of war to apply, God only help you. *You were not made Chief in one selection board; you went through your paces. Here you want to take Pakistan, along with China in one go, without preparation and ground work. Do ponder over it and get the basics right General.* ?????
I do not mean to offend you, and I do not mean to hurt you, but I only want you to play the game fair and square like you yourself say. The results would be the culmination of your verbal and other battles. You would know that day as to how much more you got to put in to achieve your goal and again as *it used to be drilled into us that JOSH KE SAATH HOSH;* I think you don’t have either. I still wish you luck; I would love to see you fare like a gentleman; I would like you to give a fight to the Captain till the last second of the round. I would request you to *learn to control your verbal horses, which you leave lose especially when you try to speak your mother tongue when vernacular media is around you********
. Are you listening officer, will you fight like a gentleman, I wonder!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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