Corruption in Armed Forces; Symptom of Decayed Polity and the State
Corrupt Arms Establishment Resists Cleanup; 'Leak' Warning on Defense Unpreparedness
Gen VK Singh refuses to bend like his predecessors or Indian Police Generals
Decrepit Publicity Hog BC Mishra Spouts Nonsense
"Frivolous and uninformed comments should not be made on military matters." Army Chief Gen VK Singh
"Allegations of corruption in defense purchases go far back. The opaque system, it may be inferred, has been deliberately nurtured by the political leadership to provide a means of generating large funds ostensibly for elections. Thus, it is not just defense purchases but almost every aspect of state expenditure that has a fiscal tag attached, the ubiquitous bribe or "chai-paani" that anyone dealing with the Indian state octopus is more than familiar with.
"Opacity and certain furtiveness characterize the entire Indian defense-acquisition process, and the beneficiaries of commissions and related incentives are spoken of in hushed tones, for they are perceived to be the true wielders of power in the Delhi durbar. This could be redressed by acknowledging the role of the middleman and, if need be, creating a cadre of such consultants whose financial incentive — better-known as commission — would be above board and part of the effort at encouraging transparency—" Deccan Herald
There is a reflex reaction among info and intellect challenged argumentative Indians to keep military down, with a primordial fear that we might end up like Pakistan and become a laughing stock .We are a laugh stock, after 2611 .Beijing crowed that India's dream to be a major power was gone .We are still debating the shameful events of India's rape details (which even the courts prohibit) .Why Kasab and other convicted terrorists not been hanged!
No corrective action yet in police and intelligence organizations. Can a repeat 2611 be stopped? India has not even fully investigated the role of US's FBI double agent David Headley .Close family like RAW and even IB have become fossil out fits .CBI is but a handmaiden of the party in power .If military is further interfered with, Army generals would become like Police generals, DGPs et al, touching CMs feet, feeding sweets to Maya and worse.
Coming back to present day Islamic polities , the question who will be the ruler ; the secular or the spiritual head has not been resolved, since Prophet Mohammad combined both the offices .Look at Pakistan .In Turkey , Saudi financed Islamist AK party has weakened its military and insulted and even jailed armed forces officers including a former military chief and the secular judiciary establishment is being tinkered with .Under Riyadh influence ,AKP has already messed up its policy in Syria .( in 1990-91 US fooled Turkey and wanted Ankara to send troops into Iraq , Turkey's military chief resigned in protest .Ankara came out a loser after the war ) Military also opposed joining US attacking Iraq in 2003 , which many in India like one Swapan Gupta and others advocated .I do not know the views of our own security experts coached and influenced by MIV , CIA and now Mossad .
In India , since ancient times the Brahmin /ruler governs and gets Dakhshina , the military fights and Baniya or arms dealers and agents make money . This is our history and culture .We remain a feudal polity with medieval practices .Look at what various Yadava MPs have said against Gen Singh, so that the CBI spares them .CBI is biased and RAW is a joke as we all know, never mind Pakistan and security expert B Raman with his penchant for advising presidents and PMs of many nations on what they should do..
It is sickening to watch inane and jejune debates on India's trivia and celebrity obsessed channels with its shrieking, ignorance brimming arrogant and Radiia tapes compromised anchors, including some of the girls just out of schools, who perhaps wet their panties when gushingly interviewing Yuri Singh or Selman Khan. Plus most party spokesmen cum lawyers ( look at the state of the judicial system and profession in India ) except from the left parties , reduce serious discussions to rhetoric and pointless shouting debates for promoting party manifestoes ( Sometimes, Karan Thapar ,righty cuts nonsense from participants in the middle), have as usual been joined by faithfuls and hangers on of 10 Jan path for perks of sinecures or those who long ago sold their loyalty to Wall Street and have become promoters of US soft diplomacy.
One so called anchor ,a chit of a girl kept repeating ,ad nauseam obviously under instructions from corporate channel owners , for Gen VK Singh's resignation or why he should not be dismissed .At this info and intelligence challenged low level of debate ,even the retired military officers , some sympathetic to arms dealers or inimical to honest military officers , cringed and tried some balancing , but the behavior of some retired IFS officers and an IAS officer , parroting dictates from the corrupt establishment were really nauseating
I have written enough on what I think of retired IFS officers who are propped up daily to mouth pro Corporate and Pro US views .Former Cab Sec should not do any more damage to IAS reputation by defending the corrupt political class. Commando Gen VK Singh is one step ahead and trying to clean up the decaying corrupt system in the army .Only a few like the "Hindu' paper journalists , defense expert Rahul Bedi etc have shown some understanding of the problem.
Under a Sikh PM household, Gen JJ Singh, with support from Adarash housing society tainted Gen Deepak Kapoor, decided to make Gen Bikram Singh and Gen Suhag as future Army chiefs .According to S. Khuswant Singh the Jat Sikh soldiers fought well and valiantly but their leaders were hopeless and Sikh armies were beaten by Bengali, Bihari and Oriya sepoys led by British officers. The Sikhs were rewarded by the British for their pro-English role in the 1857 war of independence.
Decrepit Publicity Hog BC Mishra Spouts Nonsense
Now former National Security Advisor, a decrepit Brajesh Mishra has been brought out of the dead cobwebs .He told Karan Thapar on TV that he held both the minister and the general responsible for not taking action on the bribery allegation but wanted Gen V K Singh to be sent on forced leave.
"My view is that both the minister and the Army chief are responsible for not taking action," he said commenting on the allegations by Gen Singh that he was offered a bribe of Rs 14 crore for clearing a contract for trucks and had informed the Defense Minister about it.
Asked whether the army chief should be sacked or sent on compulsory leave, Mishra told Karan Thapar on the Devil's Advocate programme that "If he is sacked, then something more may happen. If he is sent on compulsory leave, he is not being sacked. He should be told that enjoy your two months vacation with government salary and then take pension and go home."
Asked whether the army chief should be sacked or sent on compulsory leave, Mishra told Karan Thapar on the Devil's Advocate programme that "If he is sacked, then something more may happen. If he is sent on compulsory leave, he is not being sacked. He should be told that enjoy your two months vacation with government salary and then take pension and go home."
How very considerate but trite of Mishraji .A former Indian diplomat Mishra was removed in 1980 as Indian Envoy from his New York post for not following the policy on Afghanistan of the newly elected Indira Gandhi govt in 1980.He was adopted by Washington and given a cushy job in UN .
Son of formidable senior Congress leader late DP Mishra , Brajesh soon came close to AB Vajpayee and became his evening companion. Power and publicity hungry, he was National Security Advisor and defacto PM as Principal Sec to PM Vajpayee .He tried to run MEA too. He was stopped from hogging publicity by his detractors in BJP. The job of Principal Sec to PM is rightfully for a senior IAS officer .An expert on multilateral diplomacy i.e. fighting over commas and full stops, Mishra had little experience or expertise in administration and finance .IAS officers in PMO ran circles around him, enriching themselves and letting their friends and patrons, India's emerging robber barons loot the exchequer .This was later described as India Shining era. The BJP was ousted from power .How the corporate robber barons thrived when Mishra was de facto PM needs investigation and a serious case study. But similar policies have continued.
Karan Thapar's TV interview was a trite .It was pathetic and unbecoming performance by Mishraji brought out from the cobwebs to tarnish an upright and honest Army chief.
Sometime ago Mishra had rightly opposed the Indo-US Nuclear agreement , from which India has gained little and lost very much .But Mishra soon changed sides merely to remain in limelight and be on the US high table (dinner !).
I am disappointed that anchor Karan Thapar has changed sides .He should know how his own father the Army Chief was humiliated and removed for mistakes committed by those appointed to senior command posts by interfering and scheming politicians and self serving civil servants.
The drama will continue .Watch this space.
Amb(Retd) K.Gajendra Singh April 2, 2012.
For author's diplomatic , military and journalistic experience read
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