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Dehradun, October 27

To commemorate 3rd Reunion of the Army Aviation Corps, a cycling expedition of Army Aviation Corps visited the Indian Military Academy here today. The six-member expedition team led by Capt Kritarth Kala commenced its expedition on October 23 from Bareilly Cantonment. It cycled through Haldwani, Najibabad and Raiwala before reaching Dehradun today.During their brief halt at Dehradun, they visited IMA and interacted with Gentlemen Cadets and briefed them about the yeoman service provided by aviation to the nation during crucial military operations and natural disasters. After interaction with Gentlemen Cadets, the team was felicitated by Indian Military Academy Commandant Lt Gen S K Jha. — TNS

Normally, we come to know about a scam long after it has happened. But thanks to our credit-seeking PM and his Media which glorifies his failures as achievements, we Indians are witnessing a scam in progress right now in front of our own eyes (if they’re open). Yes, we’re talking about Rafale Deal.

This scam not only involves our hard earned money but it also has serious implications for India’s security & morale of our Armed Forces. This also tells us for whom is the Hon’ble PM is actually working – For crores of Indians who voted for him, or for his cronies who fund his election campaigns.

We’ll have to understand the scam first. The Deal involves purchase of 36 Rafale fighter planes from France through Government to Government deal done by our Hon’ble PM.

History of the Rafale Deal

IAF (Indian Air Force) is in dire need of around 200 MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) since 2001. UPA approved the demand in 2007 and initiated the bidding. Many companies responded & finally Dassault won the bidding in 2012 to provide 126 Rafales at US$ 10.2 Billion, 18 jets to be provided ready-to-fly and rest 108 to be Made in India by HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) via technology transfer. [1][2] The deal also had other goodies, like Dassault was supposed to invest 50% revenue from this deal into India itself.[3]

Dassault bid was the lower than the shortlisted Eurofighter and loaded with many benefits for India. Dassault was on the verge of bankruptcy and without this deal, France’s future as a defence supplier was in jeopardy. The deal Dassault offered after it’s unsuccessful attempts to export Rafales to Brazil & UAE, even made China nervous.[4] They offered their best deal and India awarded them the contract, and followed up with negotiations to iron-out the details. The negotiations ended when PM Modi changed the entire deal (turned it on it’s head, actually, totally scrapping the Original Deal[5]) and announced purchase of 36 Ready-to-fly planes at almost 3-times the original cost from France.

Bye Bye Make in India. Bye Bye Technology Transfer. Bye Bye all the benefits to India, based on which Dassault won the bid in the first place.[6]

Look at the brazen loot of Money in above Table.

Partnership and technology transfer to HAL in original contract was with a strategic objective of developing indigenous capability in the long run. India can’t keep on purchasing super-costly aircrafts from other nations forever. Technology transfer and manufacturing of 108 jets in India by HAL was most important aspect of original deal, which PM Modi has done away with.

A PM who wants to make India a super power doesn’t do such scams and Insult India world over. The deal, as it stands today, is a full blown scam to loot India and benefits Mr Modi’s cronies.

What caused the change in deal?

So why did Hon’ble PM Modi spoil a sweet deal benefiting India (from a desperate company in serious need of business) into an outrageous losing proposition to empty India’s coffers to enrich France’s? What really happened?

Mukesh Ambani Happened. Anil Ambani Happened.

Within less than 2 weeks after Dassault bagged India’s 126 MMRCS deal, Mukesh Ambani became Dassault’s partner. [7] So did Anil Ambani, afterwards.[8] Surprised? Now Dassault, which was ready to provide 126 Rafales at US$ 10.2 Billion, 18 ready to fly and 108 to be made in India by HAL asked additional money for weapons systems and technology transfer stretching the deal from 10.2 Billion to 14-18 Billion US$. Not only this, they refused to provide any guarantee for planes made by HAL. [9] In short, they broke every single clause, rider in the original contract.

Why? Greed, of course! When Dassault entered the bid, it had no leverage and much to lose if it didn’t get the bid. Dassault was desperate, it’s reputation of being non-transparent in it’s business (rated worst – F Band by transparency international) wasn’t helping it much and Dassault’s CEO himself was mired in charges of financial irregularities.[10]But Dassault-Ambani partnership changed everything. Now, Ambani – who controlled most of the politicians, thus controlled the government itself, was Dassault’s partner. So Dassault-Ambani started arm twisting Indian government to get the most out of the deal. Read about Ambani’s Gas Scams to know about his arm twisting prowess.[11]

Thankfully, it wasn’t that easy. At first whiff of corruption, the Defence Minister of UPA at the time, A K Antony – considered a rare honest politician in BJP-Con flock, stopped serious negotiations, delaying the deal. So Dassault-Ambani had to wait out 2 more years until Modi became PM.

Modi-Ambani unholy nexus is not a secret anymore. Modi shamelessly lends his face (PM’s credibility) to Ad campaigns of Ambani’s commercial products (Jio). So as soon as Modi had an opportunity, he ratified the deal that is most disadvantageous to India and Most profitable to Dassault-Ambani. What’s more, PM single handedly took this decision, perhaps without even getting formal cabinet nod. Defence minister Parrikar himself wasn’t aware of the deal before 48 hours of the announcement. Crazy, eh?

It’s been said that Modi’s top guns Jaitley, Parrikar etc are not happy with Modi’s Deal. Subramanian Swamy of BJP has publicly spoken against and written a letter to PM Modi to stop this deal.[12] He even threatened to file a PIL to stop the deal. A Rajya Sabha Seat has silenced him about his PIL to stop Rafale Scam. Of course, no one is talking about it, because most of Indian Media has been reduced to Modi’s cheerleaders. But for how long?

The scam is not in purchasing Rafale. Scam is at the outrageous price the jets are being purchased for and that too with terms which are totally unfair to India, trashing all the original objectives of the deal. India doesn’t need just jets. It needs cost-effective technology. If India had appointed our enemy Hafiz Saeed to negotiate a deal with Dassault-Ambani for us, even he might have come up with a better deal than Modi’s Deal!

Excuses being peddled

Of course, you’ll find whole teams of propagandists on Twitter, FaceBook, Quora, entire internet in fact, feeding you false theories and rumours about how this is a golden deal for India, but fact remains, this is a Bull-Shit deal and a big scam to empty India’s coffers into Dassault-Ambani’s pockets. Just this week, Anil Ambani got the contract to manufacture spare-parts for yet to be made Rafales.[8] There goes the offset into Ambani’s Pocket.

Bhakts argue that original deal of US$ 10.2 Bn had escalated to US$ 20 or even more by the time Modi took charge and thus he scrapped the deal. A Lie. There are only 2 ways for cost escalation. 1: Inflation, which was agreed upon at 3.9% annual flat rate in the Original Deal. 2: Dassault breaches the contract. So how does US$ 81 Mn jet become US$ 243 Mn in matter of 2-3 years with flat rate inflation index of 3.9%? How? By Magic? This is the scam, precisely. This article explains this Magic is Ambani. Immediately after Dassault won the tender, Ambani partnered with Dassault. There was no reason to scrap the original deal, except there was no profit for Ambani in the original deal. So Ambani-Dassault started playing dirty games until Modi came into picture and scrapped the Original Deal and announced the Ambani Version. Additional minor customizations were added in the original deal so that the two deals can’t be compared straight away and to empower Modi’s dirty tricks department to fool people using these minor customisations as reason for cost escalation from US$ 81 Mn to US$ 243 Mn per jet without tech transfer. This is why a white-paper on the Rafale Deal explaining the Original Deal, reasons for scrapping it and the New Deal in detail is required. The alleged scam in Bofors deal was just Rs 64 Crore, This is Rs 59000 Crore Deal. Think about it.

Bhakts argue that jets in Modi’s deal are upgraded (even tailor-made) for Indian terrain and the jets in original deal were basic model, so 3-fold cost escalation is justified. Firstly, these are NOT tailor-made planes for Indian terrain. Dassault was awarded the original deal because Rafales were best for Indian terrain. Secondly, the so called upgrades cost no more than US$ 10 Mn per plane. Does this justify cost escalation from US$ 81 Mn to US$ 243 Mn? For example, per jet, Meteor Missile integration costs less than US$ 2 Mn (Missiles themselves are US$ 2.1 Mn per piece extra) per jet, Helmet Mounted Display System (HDMS) made by Elbit of Israel costs US$ 0.4 Mn. So We’re getting essentially the same so called basic model with minor upgrades at 3 times the original cost. Open Loot. FYI, just in March 2015, Modi’s crony Adani partnered with Elbit of Israel.[13] There’s something for everyone.

Bhakts argue that HAL, our own public sector company, has no efficiency/competence to make Rafales. Dassault wasn’t comfortable partnering with HAL. So? Is this deal for Dassault’s comfort? Dassault won the tender for providing 126 jets – 108 of them made in India via tech transfer with 50% offset at US$ 10.2 Bn. That was the deal, and that’s what India must demand (at same cost, adjusted according to Inflation Index of 3.9% flat rate), OR impose penalty on Dassault for breach of contract and wasting India’s time. Why would PM Modi deal with Dassault, if they back-tracked on the Original Deal? Too much trust in Ambanis? Anyways, the fact remains that HAL has made more planes that have flown, and won us wars, than Ambani ever has. Do you never get sick of Bhakts who tirelessly defend scams of Ambani-Modi-Adani and pass it off as patriotism? Would you trust planes or spare-parts made by the Ambanis?

Bhakts argue that Modi made possible the 50% offset (reinvestment in India into companies which will make spares for Rafales. this part was in the original deal as well, but instead of just spares, 108 jets were to be made in India through technology transfer!), which will generate limitless jobs and business. Fact is, It has been India’s policy since 2005 that 30% offset will be part of every defence deal bigger than 300 crores. In this specific deal, the offset was already 50%. Modi hasn’t changed this 50% to 100% or even 51%. Period. Thank MMS if you must for the 50% offset clause. Modi has nothing to do with it. Modi is buying Rafales at 3 times the original cost (original 81 Mn US$ vs current 243 Mn US$ per plane). So even after 50% offset (read Ambani’s Profit), we’re getting the planes 1.5 times (50%) costlier. And the 50% offset is not pure discount. So even 50% offset clause has been offsetted against India.[14] Further, won’t the offset generate 3 times more jobs and business if spares were to be made for 126 jets of original deal instead of just 36? Don’t do the Drugs, Bhakts. Do the Math.

Bhakts argue that in Modi’s deal, Dassault will ensure battle readiness of 25 (70% of 36) jets. But Dassault gave same guarantee in original deal too, for 13 (70% of 18) jets made by them. This is standard guarantee Dassault offers to everyone, nothing special. More importantly, India was negotiating to get the same guarantee for 108 planes made by HAL in India as well. Modi scrapped the whole thing, and now we’re paying 3 times per plane (for whole lot of 36 planes) for battle-readiness of just 12 more planes? Really? Further, reliability has never been an issue with most non Russian aircrafts, like Dassault’s own Mirage 2000. We have 51 of them since 1980. This was the reason IAF preferred more expensive Dassault & Eurofighter in its evaluation as compared to Sukhoi.

Bhakts would no-doubt talk about how we’re paying more because of eroding rupee. It’s bullshit of course. The deal is in US$ anyways, so exchange rate doesn’t matter at all. Their argument is ludicrous, however, as the deal is even bigger a scam when considered in INR. As per 2012 Deal, we were getting 126 jets (US$ 81 or Rs 445 Crore per plane) + tech transfer at 10.2 Bn US$, now we’re getting just 36 jets (US$ 243 or Rs 1617 Crore per plane) without tech transfer for 8.74 Bn US$. What we’re getting in Modi’s deal is not even 1/3rd (Considering the deal in US$) or 1/4th (Considering the deal in Rs) of original deal.

Bhakts argue that 108 planes constructed in India by HAL would cost us more than Modi’s deal (per plane). This is absolute crap. The deal with Rafale was for 10.2 Bn US$ for 18 ready to fly Jets + technology transfer whereby Dassault will make 108 planes with HAL in India. That was the deal. Period. Modi’s dirty tricks department is in dire need of people with grey matter.

Bhakts argue that Modi has revised original inflation index – 3.9% flat rate, to floating rate capped at 3.5%. You must be laughing already. At inflation index if 3.9% flat as per original deal, it would take 20+ full years until we pay double for the jets (even if compounded annually). We don’t want to pay double in 20 years, so we pay 3 times right now with floating inflation index capped at 3.5%? Who’s dumb? Modi? Bhakts? India? Don’t clap. Hit your head on nearest wall.

Bhakts argue that this deal should be compared with Egypt & Qatar’s Rafale Deals. Why? Why should we compare Modi’s deal with other countries’s recent deals, but not with Original Deal Rafale had with India back in 2012? This is like saying, see we can’t buy at lower price we had signed the deal 4 years back. We must buy at higher price someone else is buying now. Why indeed?

Bhakts will accuse you of depriving Army of Rafale jets. On the contrary opposition to this deal is to empower the Army and India by getting 18 Jets + Tech Transfer, manufacturing 108 Rafale fighters in India (Make In India) and other goodies as were present in Original Deal. We have to save our Tax money meant to be used for Army and Nation from going to Dassault-Ambani’s pockets.

Bhakts argue that if there’s really a Rafale scam, why hasn’t congress spoken about it? Will you believe Congress, if they speak about it? Dear Bhakts, facts are in front of your eyes. Use your brain. Modi is purchasing marginally better planes at 3 times the price, forgoing the technology transfer, to benefit Ambani Brothers who both are Dassault’s partners. Congress is in Ambani-Adani’s pockets too. That’s why you voted Modi, instead of congress, remember?

Bhakts would challenge you that if there’s really a Rafale Scam, file a PIL. Really? Just curious, How many PILs did you or Modi file on any previous government’s scams? Zero. So the previous governments didn’t do any scam?

Bhakts would accuse you of not knowing complexities of defence deals. If so, demand a white paper in national interest from PM on Dassault deal, including profiles of every entity involved in the deal. Surely, a white paper on the deal would clarify everything. It’s not too much to ask for, is it?

Bhakts argue that now Dassault is making tech transfer through JVs with Reliance. Really? Is India buying Rafales so that Reliance gets technology? Well the article says the same thing. This is a deal for Ambanis, Cronies. Not for India. Most ridiculous argument in defence of Dassault-Ambani.

Bhakts would accuse you of being anti-Modi. And indeed you are anti-Modi in this case, because Modi wants to empty India’s coffers into Ambani’s pockets, and you’re trying to stop him.

Of course, when Media itself is feeding lies to People of India with unnamed “source” based plants like this, you can’t really blame bhakts. Every benefit described in this plant is a lie. This article glorifies Rafale Scam as Modi’s achievement. Will you read DNA again? I won’t.

Addendum

As mentioned in the article itself, Modi propaganda machinery has been spreading lies to defend Rafale Scam. What’s funny, they’re just repeating the same lies that have already been busted. I’m committed to bust every single propaganda of Modi’s dirty tricks department on Rafale Deal. The more they lie, the better this article will be. You need not believe me. You have facts. You have brain. Use both.

References

A ‘YES MAN’ is a dangerous man. He is a menace. He will go very far. He can become a Minister, a Secretary or a Field Marshal, but he can never become a leader nor, even be respected. He will be used by his superiors, disliked by his colleagues and despised by his subordinates.

So, discard the ‘YES MAN’.”

– Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw

This article is on a fairly serious yet current subject, as veterans like me have observed a tendency amongst military officers of drifting away from that famous phrase ‘Courage of Conviction’ that was drummed into us from the first days of our joining the military training academies. Even today, I have no doubt that equal, if not more emphasis is given to this hugely important aspect of Military Leadership.

Even in other fields of endeavour, its importance is no less, yet nearly all civil government employees have been and are ‘Yes Men/Women’. The main reason is that when the governing hierarchy holds loyalty higher than professional competence; sycophancy flourishes and the nation suffers.

What the highly respected Field Marshal had stated was again highlighted by yet another Army Chief, General K Sunderji on assuming command of the Indian Army on 01 February 1986, in his famous personal letter to all officers of the Indian Army, wherein he had minced no words when he said: “As a whole, the Corps of Officers is becoming increasingly careerist, opportunist and sycophantic; Standards of integrity have fallen and honour and patriotism are becoming unfashionable.”

Till about two decades back, the military (by and large), had adhered to the advice of these great commanders and had displayed excellent leadership qualities. However, it is sad to observe that thereafter many military leaders have succumbed to the lure of the next rank and the filthy lucre!

The fall has been progressive and despite many military men and women of impeccable character, larger numbers are becoming prone to this virus. This has had a highly deleterious effect on the rank and file. Without character qualities of the highest order, militaries deteriorate rapidly and will not deliver when the chips are really down.

While many reasons are internal to the military, the deteriorating character of our political leadership has contributed in no small measure in encouraging this, initially among the civil officials and lately in senior military officers too.

This essay is not aimed at the politicians, for whom votes are the be-all and end-all of life! Nor is it for all civilian government employees, including the police, as they revel in being ‘yes men/women’ and know that this is the way to become upwardly mobile! My aim is to appeal to all military officers not to ape them but to shun such actions, as the security and sovereignty of the country rests on their shoulders. Military leaders must hence have impeccable character.

Let me digress at this stage to tell the reader about a phrase that was frequently used in the Indian Army in the past and is still in vogue among officers.

In undivided Punjab, a common phrase heard was “Good Man the Laltaen”. It was obviously hybrid like many that Punjabi’s had formulated! It was a phrase that conveyed one’s appreciation in an informal/friendly way. The last word, as you must have guessed, was the Punjabi equivalent of Lantern. Let me quote only one other example.

In the 1940’s, the struggle for Independence was at its peak. In Punjab, there were many firebrands, especially among the youth. Every day, there were slogan-shouting processions, against the British Raj. The then Governor of Punjab had a game leg, so he was promptly nick-named “Tunda Laat”. So, when someone cautioned a firebrand not to say or act violently against the government, the person’s reply was “Parwah Nahin Tunde Laat Di”, or I could not care less even about the lame Governor!

With this as the background, let me revert to “Good Man the Laltaen”. The basis for the phrase was that there was indeed a good quality lantern in the market, sold under the brand ‘Goodman’s Lanterns’. So, Goodman’s Lanterns became ‘Good Man Di Laltaen’!

The phrase was soon picked up by Army Officers and often used as a pat on the back for junior officers, while the Hindustani word ‘Shabash’ (Good Show) was used for JCO’s and Jawans.

Many years later, another line was added to it, more like a humorous riposte: “And Bad Man Da Diva”, although it was rarely used in the army.

As far as civil government institutions and officials are concerned, starting from the politicians, it was never “Good Man Di Laltaen” for most, but “Yes Man Di Laltaen”! The reasons were and are obvious, as sycophancy in all its forms was and continues to be the easiest ladder to success for those who are weak or inept professionally.

Despite all types of governments coming to power in the Centre and the states, no effort has been made to get rid of the sycophants and opt for professionals. It appears that sycophancy, which massages the ego of the superiors, has now become all pervasive among the civil officials.

It is unfortunate and I daresay highly dangerous from the security point of view that the

‘Yes’ syndrome has now crept in to the military. The new phrases in the military are “Yes Man Di Laltaen” and “No Man Da Diva”! Consequently, the armed forces are also veering away from the straight and narrow path of leaders with character. This is in stark contrast to the much ingrained ethos of the armed forces, when exemplary character was the hallmark of military Leadership.

In earlier times, a ‘Yes Man’, was not only shunned but was made to suffer the ignominy of isolation and little social contact. Unfortunately, spinelessness has resulted in more ‘yes men/women’ surfacing. While correct orders are never questioned, especially in the army, the army permits the questioning of wrong or unlawful orders.

It is a great pity that the military hierarchy is succumbing to ‘chamchagiri’ that was the preserve of most civil officials. The fallout is that even unlawful commands are answered by ‘yes sir’ and ‘will be done sir’!

This rot needs to be curbed ruthlessly as it is against the ethos of the armed forces. I can recall many instances of the past when firstly a senior officer hesitated to give an unlawful or even a wrong order to his subordinates; and secondly, the officer receiving such an order displayed ‘courage of conviction’ by going back to his senior, advising him that the order was wrong and requesting that it be changed.

The armed forces especially and even others, need to revert back to “Good Man Di Laltaen” from the current “Yes Man Di Laltaen, which unfortunately we see more and more, while the junior leaders look askance and curse under their breath!

Our young officers on commissioning are full of pep and most start their adventurous career in the forces on a high note, but as they rise in service and rank, they start losing respect for those seniors who display the ‘Yes Man’ syndrome. Resultantly, when they become senior officers, many sadly join the ranks of the “Yes Man Di Laltaen”.

Our senior military leaders need to re-learn the importance of character and professional competence. They must not be mere ‘Yes Men’ and revert to the basics of soldiering, which is not just professional competence, but also the highest level of personal integrity and belief in themselves; the personnel they command; and the ‘Izzat’ of their units, formations and the armed forces.

A great army with an enviable record must change and regain its lost high levels of Leadership and Character qualities.

(The writer is a former Vice Chief of Army Staff)

http://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/NewsDetail/index/1/12053/From-Good-Man-Di-Laltaen-to-Yes-Man-Rise-of-Sycophancy-in-the-Army

Cars damaged during shelling in Poonch district. Tribune Photo

Shyam Sood

Rajouri, October 18

After a lull of three days, the Pakistan army resorted to unprovoked heavy mortar shelling and automatic weapon firing on Indian forward posts and civil areas in the Balakot and Manjakot sectors in Poonch and Rajouri districts about 7 am today.Five persons, including two labourers from Madhya Pradesh, were injured in the Balakot sector while three persons, including a minor girl, were injured in the Manjakot sector.All were admitted in hospitals and were later discharged after treatment except Ayaz Ahmed, a resident of Darati (Balakot), who received critical splinter injuries in the chest and left leg and is under treatment at the district hospital in Rajouri.The other injured have been identified as Tariq Mehmood of Darati, Urmeela Devi and Kusum, both residents of Chattarpur in Madhya Pradesh, and Bishu of Panchari (Udhampur). Urmeela, Kusum and Bishu are engaged as labourers in  Balakot.Those injured in the Manjakot sector have been identified as Liakat Hussain and his 2-year-old daughter Insha from Khorinar and Mohammed Zafar of Mangalnar. All three were also discharged from a primary health centre after treatment.“The firing and shelling continued intermittently till 3 pm. The Pakistan army’s unprovoked and indiscriminate firing and mortar shelling has been retaliated strongly and effectively by the Indian army,” said the defence PRO.Pakistan has violated the truce pact a number of times this month, resulting in casualties. On October 2, two minors were killed and two soldiers along with 12 civilians were injured in shelling in the Poonch sector. A day later, Sepoy Mahendra Chenjung attained martyrdom in the BG sector while on October 4, three soldiers were injured in the Balakot sector in heavy mortar shelling.Sepoy TK Reddy of Maratha Light Infantry and a porter were killed while 5 soldiers and one porter were injured in border shelling on October 12. Two days later, three residents of Kahnetter were injured critically when a mortar fired by Pakistan fell near their house. 

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 12

Director General Military Operations Lt Gen Anil Kumar Bhatt said the Indian Army was fully capable of protecting the nation and giving a befitting reply to external aggressions. Gen Bhatt was in his hometown Mussoorie in Uttarakhand to participate in the annual day function of a boarding school. He said the Army had the capability to accomplish any task assigned to it with full dedication and valour.He exhorted the youths to join the Indian army and feel for themselves a sense of patriotism. He said Army provided the young a platform to serve the nation and also an opportunity for immense adventure. He also asserted that he was proud to be part of the Indian Army.However, when some reporters tried to put a query on the Doklam issue on the sidelines of the annual function, Lt Gen Bhatt refused to comment.

Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa inspecting guard of honour on the occasion of 85th Air Force Day at Hindon, Ghaziabad, on Sunday. Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan Bhui

IAF’s Suryakiran jet trainers perform on the occasion of 85th Air Force Day Parade at the Air Force Station, Hindon, in Ghaziabad  on Sunday. Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan Bhui

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

Hindon (Western UP), October 8The Indian Air Force is ready to fight at a short notice, if the need arises, said IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa on Sunday morning.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)He was speaking at the Air Force Day parade at Hindon air base located east of the national capital.He paid homage to the seven military personnel who died in a helicopter crash near Tawang on October 6.The IAF Chief, talking to mediapersons, said the copter crash in Tawang on October 6 was prima facie caused as the copter’s tail rotor was dis-engaged.“The exact cause will be known latter. Will not speak more on the issue as the court of inquiry is on,” he said. The Mi-17 v5 copter, like the one that crashed, is flying.On being asked about the role of the women fighter pilots, the IAF chief said, “We intend to put women on MiG 21 jets as these are the best to hone your skills.”Addressing the issue of fighter jets, the IAF Chief said an early decision on the Make in India project (for some 120 single-engine jets) will help matters. The IAF, he said, was progressively reaching network-centric warfare. “We have maintained operational readiness by way of exercises.”He also said the Air Force was acquiring multi-spectrum strategic capabilities and remained committed to building a “joint manship” with the Indian Army and the Navy.Dhanoa said security of all Air Force stations have been enhanced to combat any threat, including sub-conventional threats, after the terrorist attack on the IAF base station in Pathankot last year.In January last year, terrorists sneaked in from across the border and attacked the air base. The attack claimed the lives of seven security personnel while four terrorists were killed. — With agencies

A fauji finds himself being used as a symbol of misplaced patriotism whereas his concerns relating to pay and pension, welfare and other facilities are not being resolved.

CLEAR OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES: In this file photo, an Army officer instructs jawans during combat training at the High Altitude Warfare School at Sonamarg in Ganderbal, J&K. Mohd Amin War

Brig Gurinder Singh (Retd)

LAST month, when a friend posted a few photographs about the death of 10 safai karamcharis in Delhi on his Facebook page, he received a strange counter-argument, “So what? Aren’t the soldiers dying on the border?” That happened around August 15, when Indians are usually charged up with seasonal patriotic fervor, which this year was compounded by the Doklam crisis and the security situation in Kashmir. But it is quite distressing to note that the death of fellow citizens at the lowest rung of society, entirely due to callous and negligent contractors and officials, is trivialised by such insensitive references to the faujis. There is a growing trend of using soldiers as a shield to justify everything, invariably by those who have no knowledge of the structure, organisation, working ethos and culture of the defence forces.

Misconception in public

Code of conduct: There is a misconception in the public, especially after ‘surgical strikes’, that the day-to-day functioning of the Army is controlled/monitored/guided by the political leadership. In my four tenures (all before 2014) on the Line of Control in J&K in different capacities, including command of a brigade, I do not recall any incident where there was ever any ambiguity in the approach or condoning of any softness or lack of aggression by anyone. There has never been any doubt about the operational procedures and code of conduct, nor was there any looking back for the orders. But Sharmaji, our grocerywala, thinks that the Army has only recently been given permission to act aggressively (khuli chhoot) against infiltrators and terrorists. The utterances of Manohar Parrikar as Raksha Mantri, “The esteem of the Defence Services is lowered in the public as there has been no war in last so many years”, left one wondering about his understanding of security matters. His act of crediting the ‘Surgical Strikes’ to his own RSS training undermined the credibility of the armed forces.TV debates: To use border tension with Pakistan and China to whip up misplaced patriotic passion in TV debates is not a virtuous thought. It is okay for military officers to be taking part in such debates as defence analysts purely on military/security matters. But when they get drawn into noisy debates on nationalism, they do not enhance the reputation of the armed forces. At times, they are seen in such debates for their military demeanour as a symbol of nationalism, rather than their domain expertise. Then there is another category of self-proclaimed nationalists and well-wishers and spokespersons of the military, who have taken this pro-fauji discourse on TV and social media to altogether absurd levels. Do we need to belittle a businessman, an IT professional or a policeman by telling him that his contribution is nothing compared to that of a fauji? A soldier carries out his task because he is trained and conditioned that way and without any external considerations. Bollywood portrayal: Akshay Kumar, the film actor, recently displayed public pity on soldiers and the families of martyrs by giving a few lakhs in charity while promoting his film. Do we need to run the defence forces or the welfare of the families of the martyred soldiers on charity? This is because the public perception is largely based on inaccurate, fictitious and often larger-than-life portrayal of military men in our movies. Bollywood would serve the defence forces better if the nuances of military culture, warfare and the context are adequately researched before depicting a fauji character or theme in the movies. In this regard, our film industry should learn from Hollywood.This new-found fauji overdrive has been exploited by the advertisement industry, too. Though there is nothing wrong in exploiting the pro-military public sentiment for commercial gains, the depiction of soldiers/soldiering in such advertisements is nowhere near the real-life soldiering.  A soldier deployed at the Line of Control or other operational areas is neither a Rambo nor Robot. He detests inaccurate representation of his hardships or sacrifices being used for electoral or commercial purposes.

Defence minister’s post

Since May 2014, the post of Defence Minister has been held as an additional charge or by someone who always preferred Goan fish curry to Delhi butter chicken. With 20 months to go, the nation may have finally got a ‘full time’ Raksha Mantri. The new Defence Minister is entitled to be photographed in the cockpit of the fighter jet and on board a ship or a submarine. But the ‘full time’ minister should now address these long-pending issues concerning the uniformed personnel of the defence forces. 

Address soldiers’ issues

The soldiers will be better served if the issues related to their pay and pension are addressed, if the anomalies of the 6th and 7th pay commissions were tackled and the One Rank One Pension (OROP) was implemented in its entirety. The Reddy commission report to look into the shortcomings of OROP continues to lie in cold storage since November 16, while the faujis’ agitation at Jantar Mantar continues for more than two years. The misconceptions relating to free rations in peace stations, canteen facilities, buddy (sahayak) system must be seen in proper perspective. When the grant of Non Functional Upgradation (NFU) to defence officers is being contested by the government in the Supreme Court, even after a tribunal headed by a retired high court judge ruled in favour of defence officers, the faujis have reason to be angry. Inaction and indifference of previous governments to these matters cannot be an alibi or justification to defer or deny the soldiers their dues.  A fauji finds himself being used as a symbol of misplaced patriotism while his concerns relating to pay and pension, welfare and other facilities are not being resolved. Therefore, he has reason to be upset and angry. The saying goes, ‘new broom sweeps the corners clean’. Military cantonments are much cleaner than civil areas in the true spirit of Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan. Some broom-wielding is needed in the Ministry of Defence, too.The JNU-educated minister must make the right choice; resolve pending issues pertaining to defence personnel and focus on delivery on promises to soothe the ruffled feathers. She also must see how this unnecessary and unwarranted discourse of hyper-nationalism in the name of faujis can be stopped.