IESM: Fast for Justice Rally- Congratulatory Message

Congratulations to all the organizers of the rally at Jantar Mantar on 8 Feb 2009. It was indeed a great success as a result of meticulous planing and execution.

I would also like to congratulate all those veterans who came to participate in the Rally from far off places and Delhi. You all took so much trouble in the cold weather. It just shows that we all believe in the cause and feel so strongly about the high handedness of the bureaucrats, who have been misleading the Ministers.

DUE TO THEIR SHORT SIGHTEDNESS, SELF SERVING POLICIES, THE BUREAUCRATS HAVE BROUGHT ABOUT THIS SORRY SPECTACLE OF VETERANS AGITATING AND TAKING THE EXTREME STEP OF RETURNING THEIR MEDALS TO THE SUPREME COMMANDER. THIS IS INDEED A VERY SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS FOR WHICH THE GOVERNMENT IN POWER BEARS FULL RESPONSIBILITY.

HOPEFULLY THE UNINFORMED POLITICIANS WHO ONLY ARE CONCERNED WITH EITHER "Votes or Notes" WOULD HAVE SEEN THRU THE GAME BEING PLAYED BY THE BUREAUCRATS. THE DEFENCE SERVICES ARE THE ONLY ORGANIZATION IN THE COUNTRY WHICH IS STILL DISCIPLINED, IS EFFICIENT AND DELIVERS. SUCH POLICIES WILL DEGRADE THE DEFENCE SERVICES ALSO.

Let us flood the media with Letters to the Editors and write ups bringing out the machinations of the bureaucracy in order to remain supreme but not be accountable. All so called SYSTEMIC Failures like the one in Mumbai in Nov Terrorist attacks are due to their inefficient ways of working and not being punished for such glaring lapses..

One such letter addressed to some Editors is posted below.

JAI HIND
Harbhajan Singh
Lt Gen (PVSM) Signal Officer-in-Chief 1988-91

Letter to the Editors

SIXTH PAY COMMISSION AND THE DEFENCE SERVICES

The readers would have by now come to know about the mess created by the bureaucracy as regards the pays and pensions of the Defence Services. As a result the Defence Services Chiefs did not implement the Government Orders immediately and had to instead refer these back to the Government a number of times for issuing amendments and modifications. This has resulted in creating a sense of mutual distrust between the bureaucracy/ political leaders in power and the Defence Services hierarchy. Ex Servicemen have been thoroughly disappointed and angered. They have been on fast near Jantar Mantar for over 6 weeks. On 8 Feb 2009, a big rally was held in New Delhi, in which nearly 10,000 Ex Servicemen from a number of states participated. They returned their Medals to the Supreme Commander, President of India as a mark of protest. This does not bode well for the Nation and guardians of the Nation’s Security.

One of the glaring anomalies/ omissions contained in the orders issued by the Government was that a pre 2006 retiree Jawan gets more pension than a Non Commissioned Officer and Lt Gen, Maj Gen and Brigadier gets lesser pension than a Colonel!! Can there be a more absurd and laughable decision and order issued by the Ministry of Defence run by bureaucrats!! How can any sane person think that a senior person will get lesser pension than a junior!!

The worry is, how can the Nation leave the control and running of the three Defence Services as also other matters dealing with National security in the hands of such incompetent bureaucrats, who ultimately advise the Ministers and work out nitty gritty of orders to be issued!! No wonder there are glaring deficiencies in the main equipments and weapon platforms and systems in the Army, Navy and the Air Force, jeopardizing the security of the nation.

There is a dire need to change the system of bureaucratic functioning and making them more responsive to the departments they deal with and accountable for deficiencies in these departments, otherwise India’s survival and progress is at stake. Unfortunately, they act more as a hindrance than facilitators for departments they control.

A Commission of Enquiry needs to be set up to investigate why the 6th Pay Commission Report was so lop sided in favor of the IAS and how glaring anomalies were introduced by the bureaucrats in the orders issued which have generated so much dissatisfaction.

Jai Hind
Lt Gen Harbhajan Singh, PVSM (Retd)
(Former Signal Officer in Chief)

READERS ARE REQUESTED TO LET US HAVE ADDRESSES OF EDITORS OF VARIOUS MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS IN RESPECTIVE AREAS/ REGIONS, SO THAT WE CAN SEND THIS LETTER ALL OVER INDIA, INCLUDING DELHI. THANKS.