Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, December 22

Having no money or land, Jagdeep Singh (30) from Shergarh Cheema village has expressed solidarity with the protesting farmers by running 323 km on foot till the Delhi border last week. He completed the one-side journey in 46 hours and returned on Monday.

On Tuesday, he announced to run till Delhi again from Thursday to prove that “Udta Punjab” is a baseless allegation. So far, he has covered four Takhts on foot. He announced to run till the fifth Takht after the rollback of the Central farm laws.

“I wanted to stay put till the stir ended, but had to return due to some family problem. Now, I will again run to the Delhi border on Thursday and only return after the victory of our farmers,” said Jagdeep, who was honoured by the Ramgarhia Welfare Society of Shergarh Cheema village.

Jagdeep is a Class XII pass out and wanted to study more but the poor financial condition of the family restricted him. His mother works as a peon in a private school while father is a mechanic of farm equipment in the village.

He has become an inspiration for youth. “Neither have I participated in any competition nor do I take any healthy diet. I am running to inspire youngsters against drugs.”

Karam Prakash

Tribune News Service

Patiala, December 22

To show their resentment against corporate houses, residents of Tohra village in Patiala snapped the power supply to a mobile tower allegedly owned by a business house here on Tuesday.

The villagers also passed a resolution to, henceforth, boycott all the products of the said corporate house. The villagers held a protest rally and raised slogans against corporate houses.

Satwinder Singh Tohra, a villager, said the corporate houses were the ones who would be benefitted the most by the three farm laws. “We have upped the ante against the corporate houses. We will continue our fight until the three farm laws are repealed.”

He said the Modi government on purpose, by enacting the laws, had paved the way for the corporate houses to get into the agriculture sector, but they won’t let them to do their business in Punjab.

Meanwhile, Baljinder Singh, sarpanch, said they had passed a resolution to boycott all products manufactured by the corporate houses. He said, “Farmers are agitating against the Centre at the Delhi borders and we have started a protest against the corporate houses in the villages.”

The village also passed a resolution that one member from each family would attend the protest at the Delhi borders to support the farmers.

In Muktsar, tower premises locked

Muktsar: Farmers on Tuesday snapped the power supply to a cell phone tower of a private company in Raniwala village here. They also locked the entrance of the tower premises. Protesters said they wouldn’t allow the tower to become functional until the farm laws were repealed. Meanwhile, a retail store temporarily closed in view of the protest.

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 22

Harpreet Singh, a farmer whose photograh was used by the Punjab BJP to drum up support in favour of farm laws, has actually been sitting among the protesting farmers on the Singhu border since the first week of December.

The poster that was used on Punjab BJP’s Facebook page was removed after uproar.

Harpreet Singh said, “I was amused first, but then got angry. How can they be so insensitive?” He is engaged in media projects displaying the angst of the farmers, their inconvenience and their struggle.  Photographs clicked by Harpeet that highlighted the protest have gone viral.

Harpreet Singh, known as ‘Harp farmer’ among friends has done his Masters in Software Engineering from the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Pune. Based at his village, Nadalon in Hoshiarpur district, his family owns 2-acre land. “I know the pain of a small farmer. I am shocked and more so with our comparison with Khalistanis and Maoists.”

“I got a call yesterday late evening from a friend at my village that the BJP was using my picture on its Facebook page. First I laughed, but then I got offended. How could they do it without my permission? In a lighter vein, the artist has not even bothered to edit my picture professionally. The artist has used it from my pictures on the internet.”

“I will like to ask the government that if farmers where happy why would they be camping on the Delhi borders? Why will the old, including women, bear the cold of the shivering December? Why cannot government just withdraw the farm laws and rethink? It’s ego problem nothing else,” he said.

“If the government does not repeal the laws, we will not go back home,” he said firmly.

“The BJP is trying make the farmer agitation just a fight for MSP. This is not true. There are issues like the future of farmers in our country, particularly in the wake of scope for entry of the corporate. There are many more. I can only say that despite tall claims, Narendra Modi is not with the farmers,” Harpreet said.

A spokesperson of the Punjab BJP, Janardhan Sharma said, “We will look into the matter. I will get back.”

Mumbai, December 22

The Shiv Sena on Tuesday wondered what will be the outcome of the ongoing farmers’ protest after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited a gurdwara and sought inspiration from Guru Tegh Bahadur, whose followers are among those protesters.

An editorial in the Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ was referring to Modi’s visit on Sunday to Gurdwara Rakabganj in Delhi where he paid tributes to Guru Tegh Bahadur for his supreme sacrifice.

Guru Teg Bahadur, whose martyrdom day was observed on Saturday, was cremated at Gurdwara Rakabganj.

Also read: Protesting farmers show black flags to Haryana CM Khattar during his Ambala visit

Thousands of farmers, including Sikhs, have been protesting near the Delhi borders since November 26 against the Modi government’s three new farm laws.

The editorial in the Marathi daily said farmers from Punjab did not flinch even when Modi reached the gurdwara “turning his back towards the Sikh peasants protest” and continued with their demonstration.

“Prime Minister Modi sought inspiration from Guru Tegh Bahadur. Happy about it. Thousands of Sikh fighters are also fighting (protesting) from the same inspiration near Delhi border. Hence, it is a question what will be the outcome of the battle,” read the editorial.

Also read: Armed with revolutionary poem by Pash, Faridkot farmer cycles 400 km to Tikri border

It said ‘gurbani’ was being played when the Prime Minister reached the gurdwara.

The gurbani says services and devotion towards God will be of no use if one does not change his/her thoughts, the editorial noted.

The gurbani says reading holy religious book several times will be of no use if one does not understand its teachings, and also asks what will one do when his/her time comes and an account of his/her deeds is checked, it said.

The gurbani mentions that none could defend himself from time, it added.

Also read: Farmer union leaders to meet, discuss plan of action

It is “not right” that Modi’s political opponents criticise him for anything he does, the editorial said in a cryptic remark and asked what was there to be restless if he visited the gurdwara.

Modi’s opponents are alleging “politics” behind the Prime Minister’s visit to the gurdwara and asking why are the farmers from Punjab protesting in the cold if he loves Sikhs so much, it said.

“…but none should question Modi’s faith. Guru Tegh Bahadur was a great saint. The Guru accepted martyrdom for humanity, principles and ideals…he was the protector of religion. Hence, not only Sikhs, everyone on this land should bow before Guru Tegh Bahadur,” read the editorial. PTI

Group Captain Murli Menon (retd)

Defence analyst

THE historical backdrop to India’s penchant for theaterisation goes back to the 1999 Kargil war and the two committees that followed — headed by K Subrahmanyam and Naresh Chandra — which made a slew of recommendations to the government regarding higher defence management. The creation of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) was prime among those recommendations and the incumbent can be seen at work now, the latest salvo being the Integrated Maritime Theatre study by the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS) that is due for submission shortly. This study supposedly recommends the creation of the Maritime Theatre Command (MTC), earlier referred to as the Peninsular Theatre Command. Be that as it may, the ongoing border stand-off with China threatens to reinforce India’s land-oriented war focus.

There is no gainsaying the fact that like the Kargil Review Committee (KRC) diktats, India’s defence planning for the coming years needs to factor in our country’s strategic location and world view, given how we are seen as a virtual fulcrum power between the Mediterranean and South China seas, enhancing the critical need to keep the Sea Lines of Communication open during peace and war. The creation of an Integrated Maritime Command could be seen in this light, also giving much-needed fillip to India’s expected emergence as a viable maritime entity. In order to be able to effect the desired power projection matrix in the region as also to maintain good relations with other seafaring nations such as Japan, Australia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia, a strong maritime organisation is inescapable. There’s also a need to coordinate our strategic posture meaningfully with other littoral states such as Sri Lanka, Maldives, Madagascar, Iran and Oman. It is thus high time India asserted itself as a maritime power.

Presently, we have seven commands each in the Army and the Air Force and three regional commands in the Navy. Besides, we have the integrated CDS, Strategic Forces Command and Andaman & Nicobar Integrated Command already functional. It is understood that the agenda for the CDS is to reorganise the existing single service commands into five integrated commands for enhanced operational and functional efficiency. The Indian Armed Forces Joint Doctrine Manual came out in 2017; it talks about theaterisation of the military, including the creation of the then Peninsular Theatre Command and now the MTC, an Air Defence Command under the IAF’s aegis and three Army Theatre Commands — west, north and east — to deal with the threat from Pakistan and China. The MTC, whose implementation is expected as early as 2022 once the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) gives its approval, would address the overall maritime threat. Organisationally, no additional liabilities of posts or ranks are expected, the structure itself being culled from the existing command structures of the Army, Navy and Air Force. The Navy, of course, would see the churning first, with the proposed merger of its Western and Eastern Commands. As per the VCNS study’s recommendation, the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) would apparently lose his importance to a Maritime Theatre Commander to whom the Western and Eastern Naval C-in-Cs would report. The CNS’s role is expected to be reduced to ‘raising, training and sustaining’ the Navy.

The reported naval proposals have understandably created a flutter among the traditionalists in all the three services. The ‘extremists’ feel that the move for theaterisation is akin to ‘fixing what ain’t broke’. After all, the Indian armed forces have done well in all wars so far with the existing system, they aver. Integrated war-fighting could well be made a reality through mandatory tri-service postings and service courses, they further argue. But the KRC’s and Naresh Chandra Committee’s viewpoint about the need for ‘integrating and restructuring the security ecosystem’ has validity too.

India has a need to retain its influence in its defined strategic space, which includes the ability for overseas deployment of the military for political intervention or evacuation of its citizens. Some of this capability was demonstrated recently in the evacuations necessitated from Sri Lanka, Maldives and the Middle East during the Covid-19 crisis. However, care should be exercised to ensure that we do not attempt to overhaul a working system unnecessarily, bringing in change for the sake of change. Integrated commands for special forces, space and logistics may be more urgent in terms of achieving effective integrated war-fighting in the subcontinental context. Theaterisation could perhaps wait a few years, and be done in a phased manner. Merely articulating a joint doctrine does not mean we are ready to put aside years of inter-service rivalry and single service operating peculiarities. The IAF was the first to express reservations on the proposed theaterisation, for fear of its valuable air power assets being parcelled out to different new entities, at times also headed by a non-specialist C-in-C. Now, it does take a while for any nation to make such drastic changes in its war-fighting philosophy and so also we should take our time evolving into an Integrated Defence Force such as that of Israel or Japan.

Integration of the Ministry of Defence and the service headquarters, integration of defence manufacturing, integration of tri-service logistics, communications and procurements are other low-hanging fruit the government could target initially. Given the volatile security situation in our neighbourhood, we do not have the luxury of ambling through an organisational change such as theaterisation, compromising war-fighting efficacy ad interim. Therefore, much more of war-gaming, think tank inputs and hands-on experience through international exercises would be called for before the Indian military treads the path of new-fangled concepts such as Theatre Commands.

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, December 21

Women in villages are organising special rallies to exhort people to join the batches scheduled to leave for Delhi on December 26 and 27. Enthusiasm in women to participate in the protest against the Central farm laws is more than their male counterparts. More and more women are committing themselves to leave for the national capital.

“My mother-in-law and husband are at the Tikri border. Now I am also planning to join them on December 26. My daughter-in-law and son would take care of our house,” said Satwant Kaur (50) from Balian village during a rally to mobilise support for the protest and to pay homage to farmers who lost lives during the protest.

Will outnumber men

The participation of women has gone up. They are coming out in large numbers to drum up support for the protest. We hope on December 26-27, they would outnumber men in joining the march to Delhi. — Gurlabh Singh Mahal, activist

With essential commodities no more a concern, as these are being provided by various NGOs, the focus of women is now on joining their family members in huge numbers in Delhi on December 26 and December 27. Before November 26, women were conducting marches across villages to collect ration for the protest, but now it’s all about ensuring maximum participation.

“My husband has been at the Tikri border since the protest began. He has been sharing the feedback about the strength of the protest with us daily. Sometimes he predicts a long battle, but sometimes he says the victory is not away as the Central Government keeps changing stance,” said Jagir Kaur, a Thalesa village resident.

Some have their own “compelling” reasons to delay their march to the national capital. “Our buffalo has delivered a male calf two days ago and now both are fine. I would leave for Delhi on December 26 to join the protest with my husband, who is already there. My father-in-law will stay at home while my daughter and son are also here,” said Gurbhajan Kaur, another woman.

As part of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) plans, on December 20, homage was paid to deceased farmers. From December 21 to 23, memorial processions will be organised in villages. After village-level tributes to “martyrs”, block-level tributes will be paid on December 24 and. Around 30,000 more state residents are expected join the protest at Delhi on December 26-27.

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 21

Former senior IAS officers of Punjab have extended their support to the agitation by farmers, and appealed to the Centre to withdraw the three agriculture laws.

In a meeting held today, at least 18 former IAS officers, including former Chief Secretaries, discussed the impact of the farm laws. They praised the unity maintained by the farm unions and the peaceful protest being organised at the borders of Delhi.

The retired officers also paid their homage to the 38 farmers who lost their lives during the protest and urged the Punjab Government to grant monetary compensation to the families of the victims. They also expressed their concern that in the event of withdrawal of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and government purchase of foodgrains, as is feared after the enactment of the laws, the already debt-stressed farming sector would be pushed to economic decline.

Those present in the meeting included Swaran Singh Boparai, MS Chahal, Ramesh Inder Singh, KS Sidhu, JR Kundal, Kulbir Singh Sidhu, Iqbal Singh Sidhu, TR Singal, Kulbir Singh, SK Sandhu, SR Ladhar, JK Singh, Shivdular Singh Dhillon, Karamjit Singh Sra and Harkesh Singh Sidhu.