L E T T E R S    T O    T H E    E D I T O R

Naval Chief’s wasn’t an act of defiance

Apropos of the editorial, “Uncalled for defiance” (Sept 30), at the outset the defence community is quite appreciative of the support The Tribune has extended to the Services in their struggle against injustice. However, this time the editorial has missed the mark. It’s precisely because the forces are subject to a strict disciplinary code and their voice muzzled that it is incumbent on the government to ascertain their requirements and address their concerns with alacrity.

Kautilya’s advice to Chandragupta Maurya (Arthashastra) is pertinent. In essence, he stated: “To the Mauryan soldier you owe a debt, O King! It is therefore, your duty to personally ensure that he continually gets all his dues. The day the soldier has to demand his dues…you will have lost all moral sanction to be King!”

The Review Committee’s disturbing parities and other misdemeanours have been duly exposed by The Tribune. When the three Service Chiefs represented to Defence Minister A.K. Antony, he did support them, but the redressal was deliberately delayed and the Services told to go ahead with implementing the report while an “Anomalies Committee” would look into these grave issues.

Maj-Gen PUSHPENDRA SINGH (retd), Panchkula

II

The editorial criticising the Chief of Naval Staff is too harsh and uncalled for. Driven to the wall, he has rightly done his duty in consonance with the Army and Air Force Chiefs. Had the three Chiefs not represented the cause of the brave but faceless officers and jawans of the armed forces, they would have once again got a raw deal at the hands of the super babus sitting smugly in their air-conditioned offices.

Moreover, the Service Chiefs had repeatedly taken up the matter with the Defence Minister but to no avail. Their action was a last resort against the deaf ears of the babus and the politicians.

We in the armed forces, serving and retired, are proud that at last we have a troika of Chiefs, with real spine, who are more concerned about the men they command than themselves and who are not bothered about their post-retirement employment.

Col J.P. SINGH (retd), Chandigarh

III

Where is the defiance, What the three Service Chiefs did was absolutely correct. What kind of a country are we living in where neither the government nor the media understands the frustrations and anger of all ranks of the military as well as the military veterans. Do they have no rights?

Should they accept peanuts being doled out to them without protest just because they are disciplined in a sea of indiscipline and have borne all the ignominy heaped on them over decades by callous bureaucrats and political leaders? What the Service Chiefs did and correctly was to inform their commands, whose morale and welfare is their sacred responsibility, about the delay in implementation and the reasons thereof. Such actions have been taken on innumerable occasions in the past.

Lt-Gen VIJAY OBEROI (retd), Panchkula

IV

The nation must understand that an Indian loses his/her fundamental rights under the Constitution on joining the defence forces in that they cannot form associations or unions (unlike the IAS and other civil services) to represent their points of view. It is, therefore. obligatory on the nation through the government to ensure that the defence forces get their due izzat which is measured in terms of money in India. If the government had done it earlier what they propose to do now, the present situation could have been avoided.

The three Service Chiefs head and represent one of the largest defence forces of the world. They are responsible for their welfare and morale. There is no parallel to this. Hence, the actions of the three Service Chiefs, of Admiral Mehta in particular, is absolutely correct and in order.

Col SHIVRAJ, New Delhi

Reality check

It was heartening to read Chitleen Sethi’s report, “When Punjab said no-no to a Nano project” (Sept 24). There are far too many examples in our country of money bags taking extensive help from governments in order to set up projects that only generate virtual profits for society while in reality filling up the coffers of a handful of promoters.

It is time someone made a reality check on all these projects that are coming up across the country and asked what real profits will they generate for the state and its people.

UDIT VINAYAK, Mohali