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Miscellaneous

COUP SOUP KA POOP

Guest post by T.R.Ramaswami
Apropos several loose cannons on the so-called coup in January 2012, there is a precedent going back to 1964. Field Marshal Maneckshaw, who was then the Western Army Commander was given instructions by Gen. Chaudhuri, the then chief, to move with troops into Delhi, in case Nehru died, which he did under protest. Chaudhuri did not back Maneckshaw and Maneckshaw was then shifted to Eastern Command. The explanations were given later. This and the so-called “coup scoop” supposed to have taken place in January 2012 have created enough debate.
Many believe that a coup is impossible in India because you need all the army, navy, air-force and the strategic forces commanders. This is amateurish – the more the accomplices, the greater the chances of leaks. All you need is a brigade (50 companies of 100) armed to the teeth. In an urban jungle planes and tanks and even jeeps are useless against foot soldiers as three top Mumbai policemen realised too late against the terrorists. First, electronically and physically isolate Delhi – telecommunications, TV, radio stations, internet gateway, media offices, airports/ road/railway routes. Coup timed when Parliament has full attendance – forthcoming Presidential elections. Just one company can take all MPs. Recall what five men did in Delhi in 2001 and ten did in Mumbai in 2008.
The remaining seal Rashtrapathi Bhavan, North & South Blocks, Supreme Court, IB & RAW HQs, Delhi Police, BSF/CRPF HQs, foreign diplomats and top corporate honchos. With MPs, babus, IB, etc in custody, all other commanders, police and para-military will be only too happy to join the coup. Initial tipping-point success within 24 hours is essential to bring all on board. Since no Lieutenant-General / Major-General or their equivalents need be initially involved things will look normal. Assuming this plan does not work and the other forces mount a counter attack on Delhi – all VVIP hostages will be shot dead by the coup group before they too perish. Delhi will be rubble. As far as the people are concerned, either way it does not matter! Right? Anyone want to be my 2i/c?
 

Categories
Miscellaneous

IN DEFENCE OF GEN. VK SINGH (RETD)

By T.R.Ramaswami
Whatever the controversies during his tenure, the General has taught us a few things that we would
need to remember
‘Thank God he has retired’ echoed from several quarters, including our media, some of whom speculated
whether he would hand over charge! Look at the General’s service record – in 42 years of service, before
becoming Chief, he was in Army HQ for just one posting and that too as a Major. In AHQ you don’t count for
much unless you are at least a Major-General. His successor has had about half a dozen AHQ assignments and
three UN postings. It would be interesting to know how many such postings other chiefs have had. Everyone
knows that HQ tenures help build connections and relationships, even beyond the army, that prove useful later
on. Frequent postings in HQ are also associated with a more “political nature” and “flexibility” of the officer.
Has the government or the Supreme Court established that 1951 is NOT the birth date? All vacillated, beating
around the bush, resorting to semantics like “threshold documents” – the application form and two letters. All
the promotion letters, issued by the same Military Secretary’s Branch right up to the rank of Major-General,
which showed 1951 as the birth date, were conveniently ignored. Were these also not “threshold documents”?
Every third party document – authorized by law as proof of birth – hospital records and the school certificate
– showed 1951. If these are superseded hen why ask anyone for proof of birth? What if the application form
stated 1951 but the school certificate said 1950? Which one would then have been treated as correct?
Ever since he filed the suit in the Supreme Court, the Government would have engaged the IB, CBI and even
the ED, just as in the case of Jagan Reddy – to try and find some hole in his career to nail him. They evidently
failed miserably. You may ask – is there any proof that the Government did this? Answer – is there proof they
did not? Who leaked the letter to the PM? A letter can be leaked only by the author and the recipient. Had the
author been the source of the leak the Government would have trumpeted this from the ramparts of Red Fort.
Silence reveals a truth that is inconvenient. Recall what Sherlock Holmes said – when you have eliminated all
possibilities through fact and logic, whatever remains is the truth.
Why are the contents of the letter secret? Only strategic macro numbers are to be kept secret. But the larger
picture of arms shortages etc. are of vital knowledge to the people whose money is taken to fund the defence
budget. We have the right to know whether that money has gone. In any case there is nothing so secret about
all this – every foreign intelligence agency and arms suppliers, who are also mostly foreign, know the exact
picture of our armed forces, probably better than the babus and netas.
The “scoop” of the “coup” was nothing more than media “poop”. Are we to believe that the government
continued with a chief for 5 months after an attempted coup? What rubbish. Either Gen. Singh would have
become the Chief Martial Law Administrator or gone to jail or even shot for treason. Look at the nadir media
reporting has fallen.
What the General has achieved, for the benefit of the army and succeeding chiefs, given the flurry of
acquisitions, enhancement of financial powers etc, all within six months, is to establish an old Hindi proverb
– lathon ke dev (or is it bhooth?) bathon se nahin mantey. Snuggly cocooned in South Block, the babus have
been taking the netas for a ride. Recall how they managed to scotch the proposal of a former Defence Minister
to send them to Siachen and other hard postings to see for themselves. ‘Ignorance is bliss’ is the credo of the
babulog as it helps in fluffing off responsibility.
We are told that the new chief has a daunting task ahead to set right the civil-military relationships. But is it
his sole responsibility? What about the Defence Minister? Can he make a clear statement that he is the civil
authority to whom the chiefs are answerable and not the babus? Will he have at least that much courage?
Next, can he back up his statement with empirical and visible action? Can he ensure that files from the armed
forces take the route – PSO – Defence Secretary – Chief – Defence Minister? After all the Chiefs are above the
Secretary in the warrant of precedence and should have the last word before matters go to the Minister. This is
true civilian authority.
Further, why should the babus have any role in armed forces promotions? For fairness? Then who ensures
that promotions in the IAS cadre are fair? Why not let the IPS do that role? And let IPS promotions go to the
army to ensure “fairness” all round! If we cannot trust each of the cadre bosses to be fair, then how the hell
did they get appointed in the first place? And what is the “integrity” of the IAS cadre? It was this cadre that
gleefully processed the emergency proclamation. The then Home Secretary, N.K.Mukharji, ICS (later Cabinet
Secretary and the last ICS officer to retire) refused to toe the line. S.L. Khurana, IAS (!) then Chief Secretary
of Rajasthan proved malleable enough and was brought in as Home Secretary. Of course he was later rewarded
with Governorships. The blackest hour in India’s democratic history was initiated by the IAS cadre. And their
willingness to bend or even crawl to the wishes of their political masters, who conveniently choose to remain
ignorant on several aspects of statecraft, ensured rewards. If we have democracy after 1975 it is because of the
armed forces. It is time the Army and other Chiefs start pulling their weight and get meddlesome babus out of
their hair.
Evidently the problems are on account of the sheer lack of knowledge and incompetence of the political class.
And hence they have placed the bureaucracy as armour in front, and this cadre plays its own little games.
Will you trust the Defence Minister to go for a one-on-one talk on border issues with the Chinese Defence
Minister? He will be eaten raw with soya and chilli sauce.
Want civil-military relationship to be put on an even keel? Let the netas learn what it all about. Even though it
will not win elections. Better late than never.
 

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Miscellaneous

maturity

Maturity is the ability to control anger and settle differences without violence or destruction.
Maturity is to have patience.
Maturity is the willingness to pass up immediate pleasure in favor of the long-term gain.
Maturity is perseverance, the ability to sweat out a project or a situation in spite of heavy opposition and discouraging set-backs.
Maturity is the capacity to face unpleasantness and frustration, discomfort and defeat, without complaint or collapse.
Maturity is humility. It is being big enough to say, “I was wrong.” And, when right, the mature person need not experience the satisfaction of saying, “I told you so.”
Maturity is the ability to make a decision and stand by it. The immature spend their lives exploring endless possibilities; then they do nothing.
Maturity is the art of living in peace with that which we cannot change, the courage to change that which should be changed — and the wisdom to know the difference

Categories
Miscellaneous

ride vs drive

why is it that you drive a car but ride the bike?
you ride in a train, on the horse… but drive me crazy.
wonder what is the rule for selecting drive and ride