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Can of cash: J&K politicians left fuming
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VKleaks: The damage it caused By Ajay Banerjee
Former Army Chief Gen VK Singh and the government are pointing fingers at each other over Intelligence fund use. Between them the two have broken the golden rule of silence on sensitive national matters. There will be implications.
The
controversy triggered by former Army Chief General VK Singh over alleged payments to Jammu and Kashmir politicians by the Indian Army has kicked up a political storm, with reactions range from denial to shock, from surprise to expressions of ‘I told you so’. The BJP has accused the ruling UPA of causing harm to national interest, but at the same time also questioned General Singh for speaking on the matter. The Congress and the National Conference have expectedly put the blame on the former chief. The General himself, backed by a section of armed forces veterans, has accused the government of engineering a leak in the media, which they say is to blame for an uncomfortable subject being discussed in public. Long-term repercussions of the debate, however, stare intelligence agencies, Army and the paramilitary forces in the face. Henceforth, every ‘well-meaning rational voice’ in the state will run the risk of being looked at suspiciously by anti-India hawks in Kashmir as ‘pro-India’ — an anathema in J&K — and be accused of being on the ‘payroll’ of Indian agencies. Accusatory discussions on TV have died down, but the social media continues to stew in acerbic debates.
First flutter It is critical to understand how events unfolded. Since July 2012 media had been reporting (The Tribune was the first on July 18, 2012) objections of the Ministry of Defence to the spending of secret funds by the Technical Support Division, a unit under the Army’s Military Intelligence. The Defence Secretary had reportedly refused to ‘write off’ certain expenses. This led to an internal inquiry by the Director General-Military Operations (DGMO), Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia. A report was submitted in March this year, parts of which were reported in the media. On September 20, The ‘Indian Express’ quoted the ‘inquiry report’ as saying that the TSD had in 2010 paid Rs 1.19 crore to Ghulam Hassan Mir, a J&K politician, to de-stabilise the Omar Abdullah-led National Conference government. The TSD was also alleged to have paid money to an NGO in Kashmir to stall the progression of now Army Chief General Bikram Singh. Both allegations pertained to the period when Gen VK Singh was the chief — March 31, 2010, to May 31, 2012. Gen VK Singh rubbished the reports the next day: “Paying ministers in J&K was nothing new. It has been happening since 1947. Army transfers money to all ministers in J&K.... various things are to be done as part of the stabilising factor in the state and for organising various activities.” All hell broke loose thereafter. The Army paying politicians in J&K sounded blasphemous and a former chief saying it had been happening since Independence was a red-flag. “I did not start this whole game. It was started by people who leaked the report,” Gen VK Singh said in his defence while addressing a press conference in Gurgaon. “I have never said that politicians were bribed. The money given to them was not for their personal or political use, but to engage people in constructive activities,” he added. Retired Maj Gen GD Bakshi says the Army’s name should not be tarnished: “You can’t destroy an institution to get back at one individual. Gen VK Singh was pushed to the wall and forced to talk about those operations. If you name individuals being paid by the Military Intelligence, their death warrant is signed. It is anti-national and high treason.” Another retired officer, Lt Col Manoj Channan, of the Armoured Corps and who has served in J&K, says, “Anyone who claims that payments are not made is lying through his teeth. Funding is done to ensure territorial integrity of India and bring the misguided youth into the national mainstream. To cast aspersions against senior officers is sad”. On one side of the rather acrimonious divide are those who feel the government is deliberately leaking information to needle former Gen VK Singh by raising questions on the functioning of the TSD. On the other hand are those who believe he has exposed India’s state secrets. Delhi-based Naresh Kadyan, who often takes up public causes, has petitioned the Home Ministry and the Central Vigilance Commission on the matter. “It is important the government conducts a threadbare inquiry,” Kadyan says.
Pot of politics At the political level, the BJP first apportioned blame on the Congress for playing politics as Gen VK Singh had shared a stage with its prime-ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi. Later, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley lambasted the government for ‘leaking the report’ to a newspaper, but then asked: “Should the Army chief at all have admitted that such payments were indeed undertaken? None of us is entitled to know the details of these activities… The chief of the Army, heads of IB and R&AW are privy to information which must necessarily die with them.” Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde stirred the cauldron further: “VK Singh should name politicians”. National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah demanded a CBI probe and added: “The Army has nothing to do with funding of political parties. The Army should be kept apolitical.” Union Minister and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress added: “I have no knowledge about this and I am curious to know about the names of the persons who were being paid and who are being paid”.
Desi Wikileaks The use of secret funds — which are not audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General — is always talked about in hushed tones. Now some of that may have been made public. “This is India’s version of Wikileaks, a self-goal,” said a senior functionary, just as Julian Assange had blown the lid off US worldwide spying operations after he got hold of US cables. A senior intelligence official says such matters are not discussed even with colleagues, but admits that “operations do need funds to cultivate sources and to maintain a flow of information.”
Organisations place implicit trust in their officials that they would spend the money honestly. Former National Security Adviser MK Narayanan, who had earlier been Director of IB, had in 2005 started a system of auditing all secret funds spent in Kashmir. The Army probe admitted many of the claims of the TSD relating to pay-offs and operations are impossible to verify. That may be quite true, as the majority of secret funds are cash transactions. Money can be withdrawn only for an operation. The accounts of spending are submitted without naming the recipient. The head of the organisation during internal audits has to certify that the money was spent in ‘public interest’. The executive head — the Defence Secretary in case of Army — then signs the audit and at times ‘writes off’ expenses. The secret funds are used for source running, i.e. human intelligence, and paying off sources. The National Security Adviser is the audit authority for the NTRO, the Cabinet Secretariat for R&AW and Home Secretary for the IB.
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Global standing
At
a time when the credibility of every apolitical institution in India, be it the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) or the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), is under cloud, the Army prided itself as the only institution committed to serving the nation without compromising its integrity. Gen VK Singh’s outpourings seem to demolish that myth. It is anybody’s guess whether his statement on Jammu and Kashmir ministers being paid by the Army to ensure stability in the state will help Pakistan gain anything, but he has certainly caused acute embarrassment to the Indian establishment. Former Army chiefs are not known to speak on service matters like this. There are some secrets with Army men that must die with them. At the same time, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has again put his foot in the mouth and embarrassed his own government by saying Gen Singh should name the J&K ministers paid by the Army so that the Centre could inquire into the matter. There is every possibility of Pakistan raising the issue in future talks with India, given the fact that General Singh’s statement is in line with Islamabad’s narrative of the situation in Kashmir. Pakistan has long held the view that India is keeping J&K under its control by force, even using the sharply divided political class to implement its own agenda in the troubled state. The apprehension in official circles is the former Army chief’s statement could be used by Pakistan to highlight the Kashmir issue at international forums in an attempt to once again bring it on the global agenda. Pakistan claims it provides moral, diplomatic and political support to the ‘freedom movement’ in Kashmir, but never admits it also gives material support to separatists. The latest developments may encourage Pakistan to increase its material support to militants operating in the Valley. Driving out Hindus and Sikhs still residing in the Valley is high on the agenda of the separatists. Pakistan may well nudge them to go all out for ethnic cleansing. General Singh’s remarks are serious in terms of national security, but nobody seems to care to stop the vicious cycle and do the nation a service. India is one of the few developing countries where the army has remained under the control of the political establishment. The Intelligence funding allegations may well make the Army too an object of sacrifice in the power game. Shinde’s demand that General Singh name the J&K ministers can lead nowhere in case the Army really has indulged in such a practice. Even if no one has been paid, the Army still ends up getting politicised. The damage could be irreversible.
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Can of cash: J&K politicians left fuming Even as the Army vehemently denies any politicians are paid, each party sees a ‘conspiracy’ in line with their stand on Kashmir problem.
Former Army Chief Gen VK Singh has set the proverbial cat among the pigeons in J&K. While the Army is firm in its claim that it has never ‘bribed’ ministers or any politician in the state, General Singh’s statements have particularly perturbed the ruling National Conference-Congress alliance. The NC wants nothing less than a probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who initially kept quiet, has said the allegations are ‘too serious’ to be brushed aside, and all mainstream political parties are being looked at with suspicion. His close aide and NC Jammu province president, Devinder Singh Rana, said, “It is very unfortunate that a former Army chief has made reckless comments. We have to make a distinction between the Army and General Singh. The Army is apolitical and a highly respected institution. The General, who is aspiring to be a politician, has raised serious questions on a democratically elected establishment of the state. Therefore, we want a probe by a sitting Supreme Court
judge.”
If the charges are proved against any of our ministers, he will be shown the door, Rana added. He also hinted at ‘close links’ between General Singh and some “dubious political operators” at the time when the officer was commanding Victor Force in south Kashmir. “This relationship strengthened when he took over the crucial assignment of Chief of Staff, 15 Corps, and later as Army Chief on March 31, 2010,” he alleged. General Singh had a bias against Omar Abdullah because of the former’s proximity to a particular party, Rana said, likely hinting at the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The Congress in the state has thus far adopted a middle path. “The Union government has taken cognizance of the matter,” state party spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said. The PDP, however, described General Singh’s revelations as a “silver lining on the clouds”. PDP spokesperson Naeem Akhtar said, “General Singh has helped in exposing how the Centre has been adopting underhand means in the state.” Akhtar said: “There was an underlying perception among the people in Kashmir that the Centre runs this state and his statement (General Singh’s) has confirmed their belief. We have been demanding full-fledged democracy for the state.” He, too, demanded an ‘impartial probe’ into the matter. The BJP sees it as a ploy to tarnish the image of General Singh and the Army. “There is a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of General Singh because of his being seen as close to Narendra Modi,” state party president Jugal Kishore Sharma said.
Welfare only
While no serving Army officer came on record, those contacted by The Tribune were firm in their assertion that the Army does not bribe politicians, only improves lives of the people through welfare activities. When militancy was at its peak
in the ’90s and the governance poor, the Army as part of its strategy to ensure development in remote
areas to check militancy launched Operation Sadbhavana. One officer said separatists and sympathisers of militancy at the time used to incite the civilian population against the
Army.
“With governance lacking on the one hand and civilians being incited against us, the Army decided to win their hearts and minds through Operation Sadbhavana,” he said. Every year the Centre provides the Army Rs 40-50 crore for the operation. On funds being spent on welfare and developmental activities, he said the Army had a proper system in place. “For each and every work, tenders are invited and we have pre and post-audit systems in place, done by the Integrated Financial Advisers of the Defence Ministry. Without their concurrence no welfare or developmental project is approved — from battalion level up to the Command level,” the officer said. Every project is videographed, photographed and recorded in writing. The projects include educational tours for schoolchildren, vocational training for men and women, medical and veterinary camps, women empowerment centres, schools, sports tourneys and even building of roads and bridges. This August the Army helped 101 students from erstwhile Doda region to secure admissions in Pacific University, Udaipur. On the charges of attempt to topple the Omar government, a retired major general and brigadier in the state said the allegation was a conspiracy. Maj Gen Goverdhan Singh Jamwal (retd) said, “The Army has not history of attempting coups. If Gen VK Singh had to topple any government,
why would he have targeted Omar’s government?” Brig SS Saini (retd) said: “Gen VK Singh was never in good books of the present dispensation. Recently, he shared dais with Modi. So he has been dragged into this controversy.”
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VK Singh over alleged payments to Jammu and Kashmir politicians by the Indian Army has kicked up a political storm, with reactions range from denial to shock, from surprise to expressions of ‘I told you so’.
