The Angst of an Army Veteran
Maruti Nandan Mahto 24 September 2016
The Raksha Mantri says there have been lapses and he will ensure that such things don't occur again.
I want to ask this guy or rather tell him that the Army will carry out its inquiry and sort out those responsible – it will not be a suspension and transfer like it happens in the police force or in the IAS where nothing will happen.
Somebody's – maybe a few will have their careers sealed. That's ok we will do it.
Now comes your part.
Why the armed forces are so shabby as far as their infrastructure is concerned.
Have you gone to a post on the LOC and spent a night with the jawans there.
As a defence minister it's your bloody job to see the realities of the Indian Army on ground, and not reviewing Guards Of Honour in chappals.
If you are the defence minister of this country stop sitting in the comforts of Luytens Delhi – go on guy and see how the Indian Army lives.
We live in shabby and pathetic conditions.
Our living accommodation (on posts) is inhuman – we live in bunkers made of wood and mud and louse infected.
Our trenches are unfit for fighting in. Would you care to see them?
Don't bask in your glory of being a Raksha Mantri and all the shit that goes on to look after you when you visit an Army Unit.
Spend night with the troops – eat what they eat – live like how they live, starting from the morning crap. Then you will know what it is all about.
The issue is about the defence budget – we may be the third or fourth largest army in the world – but we are poor in infrastructure.
We don't have the basics, right from the clothing of a soldier to his basic equipment. Our rations are substandard. Our Boots don't last 6 months – so we buy them. The army blanket – my dog also refuses to sleep on it.
You have created a life cycle system to provide replacement clothing and equipment to a soldier – some SOB sitting in Delhi in the MOD decides how long my boots should last.
I don't have my ass plonked in cushioned chair in an AC office which is carpeted.
Do you know how much an Indian Army Jawan spends on buying his clothing and equipment?
Actually you know f-all in army parlance.
We don't have defence stores – the URI garrison has a lousy barbed wire fence – I saw it all when I was around there in 1985 and it hasn't changed.
Is that the improvement in the Armed Forces in the last 30 years?
Who is responsible for that and whom are you going to sack for that?
Troops are living in tents – man this is the 21 Century – this isn't a Safari Park – these are Army Establishments – Permanent ones and troops still have to live in tents.
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EDITORIAL :
Fortunately only those with a sense of political history still recall how Lal Bahadur Shastri assumed moral responsibility for a couple of major accidents and resigned as railway minister: Today few ministers can boast of either morality, or responsibility.
That would be lucky for Manohar Parrikar, who would have found himself in deep trouble had Shastri's example still been honoured.
For twice in less than a year have terrorists managed to penetrate the security systems at two major defence installations, and despite all the "noise" over what happened at the Pathankot air base an important army installation at Uri in Kashmir came under attack.
It is true that no minister can be held responsible for a lapse in security, yet there is enough evidence on display at Uri to confirm that no lessons were learnt from Pathankot.
Something which is likely to be authenticated by the NIA probe into what went wrong in Kashmir.
And that adds up to a valid query over the defence minister's capacity to lead the national security apparatus.
A place in the VIP enclosure for the Republic Day Parade also requires executing a demanding job, more than taking a flight to a trouble-spot -- remember that Parrikar was specially chosen for the job by the Prime Minister.
And yet the major post-Uri security review was conducted in the home ministry -- it points to the administrative and political pecking order.
The fact that Shastri's high standards no longer apply is not the only stroke of luck that favoured Parrikar.
The terrorists who struck at Uri did him a great favour by diverting attention away from a most distasteful comment to the effect that the chief minister of Delhi needed surgery on the tongue because he used his to repeatedly disparage Mr Narendra Modi.
Even in the quagmire of politics there is no room for such "black humour". Particularly on the subject of anyone's medical problems.
The defence minister must understand that by virtue of the office he holds he is one of the "big four", and he must rise above such cheap barbs.
He also happens to "head" the military, and hence is required to sustain the image of officer-and-gentleman.
Has he not come up rather short?
http://www.thestatesman.com/ne
Maruti Nandan Mahto 24 September 2016
The Raksha Mantri says there have been lapses and he will ensure that such things don't occur again.
I want to ask this guy or rather tell him that the Army will carry out its inquiry and sort out those responsible – it will not be a suspension and transfer like it happens in the police force or in the IAS where nothing will happen.
Somebody's – maybe a few will have their careers sealed. That's ok we will do it.
Now comes your part.
Why the armed forces are so shabby as far as their infrastructure is concerned.
Have you gone to a post on the LOC and spent a night with the jawans there.
As a defence minister it's your bloody job to see the realities of the Indian Army on ground, and not reviewing Guards Of Honour in chappals.
If you are the defence minister of this country stop sitting in the comforts of Luytens Delhi – go on guy and see how the Indian Army lives.
We live in shabby and pathetic conditions.
Our living accommodation (on posts) is inhuman – we live in bunkers made of wood and mud and louse infected.
Our trenches are unfit for fighting in. Would you care to see them?
Don't bask in your glory of being a Raksha Mantri and all the shit that goes on to look after you when you visit an Army Unit.
Spend night with the troops – eat what they eat – live like how they live, starting from the morning crap. Then you will know what it is all about.
The issue is about the defence budget – we may be the third or fourth largest army in the world – but we are poor in infrastructure.
We don't have the basics, right from the clothing of a soldier to his basic equipment. Our rations are substandard. Our Boots don't last 6 months – so we buy them. The army blanket – my dog also refuses to sleep on it.
You have created a life cycle system to provide replacement clothing and equipment to a soldier – some SOB sitting in Delhi in the MOD decides how long my boots should last.
I don't have my ass plonked in cushioned chair in an AC office which is carpeted.
Do you know how much an Indian Army Jawan spends on buying his clothing and equipment?
Actually you know f-all in army parlance.
We don't have defence stores – the URI garrison has a lousy barbed wire fence – I saw it all when I was around there in 1985 and it hasn't changed.
Is that the improvement in the Armed Forces in the last 30 years?
Who is responsible for that and whom are you going to sack for that?
Troops are living in tents – man this is the 21 Century – this isn't a Safari Park – these are Army Establishments – Permanent ones and troops still have to live in tents.
Mr Defence Minister I can give a list of 1000 things of what is wrong with the system and not the Army.
If you are worth your salt and not a Goa frilly willy as people think you are you will get your ass hauling and give the Armed Forces their due in basics including a good pay package.
The defence budget is a paupers budget.
Get your DIGs who get 50000- 70000 as allowance to sit on their chair in Shillong, Srinagar and Guwahati to fight the war – we can pack our bags and go home.
Thank You .
EDITORIAL :
Lucky, twice over
25 September 2016
That would be lucky for Manohar Parrikar, who would have found himself in deep trouble had Shastri's example still been honoured.
For twice in less than a year have terrorists managed to penetrate the security systems at two major defence installations, and despite all the "noise" over what happened at the Pathankot air base an important army installation at Uri in Kashmir came under attack.
It is true that no minister can be held responsible for a lapse in security, yet there is enough evidence on display at Uri to confirm that no lessons were learnt from Pathankot.
Something which is likely to be authenticated by the NIA probe into what went wrong in Kashmir.
And that adds up to a valid query over the defence minister's capacity to lead the national security apparatus.
A place in the VIP enclosure for the Republic Day Parade also requires executing a demanding job, more than taking a flight to a trouble-spot -- remember that Parrikar was specially chosen for the job by the Prime Minister.
And yet the major post-Uri security review was conducted in the home ministry -- it points to the administrative and political pecking order.
The fact that Shastri's high standards no longer apply is not the only stroke of luck that favoured Parrikar.
The terrorists who struck at Uri did him a great favour by diverting attention away from a most distasteful comment to the effect that the chief minister of Delhi needed surgery on the tongue because he used his to repeatedly disparage Mr Narendra Modi.
Even in the quagmire of politics there is no room for such "black humour". Particularly on the subject of anyone's medical problems.
The defence minister must understand that by virtue of the office he holds he is one of the "big four", and he must rise above such cheap barbs.
He also happens to "head" the military, and hence is required to sustain the image of officer-and-gentleman.
Has he not come up rather short?
http://www.thestatesman.com/ne
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