The apathy towards defence personnel is unwarranted
The root of the discrimination could well be the vantage point captured by the ICS officers who were the representatives of the masters of India, namely the British. The IAS officers inherited the sceptre of authority; their importance grew in inverse proportion to the decline in the quality of the politician. Today, how many Ministers have a true grip over the subject of their portfolios? The disproportionate power and influence that has thus fallen into the lap of the bureaucrat are reflected in what the successive Pay Commissions have been recommending.
During the same British rule, the armed forces were under the Commander-in-Chief and not directly under the Governor-General or Viceroy. In the bargain, the soldier remained on the sidelines of Government and, incidentally, had to tolerate the status of a national chowkidar in the eyes of the bureaucrat. To illustrate the point, look at Pakistan. There, with the advent of Field Marshal Ayub Khan to civilian power, the soldier ceased to be a mulazim and became a malik. The civilian slipped to a subordinate position. This is not to suggest that such an equation is desirable; certainly not. Nor, however, is the situation in India. A balance of importance is the answer.
We must not forget that so much of our territory is in Pakistani and Chinese hands and a great deal more is under claim by Beijing. The Kashmir Valley is a bleeding sore while the Maoists and the Islamists may well provoke military intervention at some stage. Assam, Mizoram and Nagaland did require army help in the course of time. Pakistan may not pose a live danger while the Al Qaeda and Taliban are at the tail of Islamabad but what if these extremists were to cross the Indus? How can the people of India tolerate their armed forces being discounted collectively and disgruntled individually?
Prafull Goradia
Read the full article at: Give forces their due
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