The bloody mess of the Holy cow.

 

Respect. Respect it was then and respect it is now. For the men in uniform.  No one could have ever doubted the integrity and honesty of these men. And the aura of these men compels you to do so.

                But, unfortunately, the holy cow has been stained with marks of corruption. The latest controversy regarding Tatra seems to be the tip of the iceberg.  Why has there been such a mess over the most respected organization in the country? What started with an age-row controversy has culminated into a would-be-scam in the army. However, it would not be appropriate to link the two events, though many would disagree to this.

                Rather than making a hue and cry over the General’s intentions or the so-called vengeance, the Government needs to take this opportunity to clear the “system”. Why is it that India is continuing to import arms and has no clear plan chalked out for the indigenous production? China which was the largest importer of arms from 2002 to 2007 has dropped to fourth position. Compared to that, India’s imports are rising every year. No wonder it is now the biggest importer of arms.  Plus, why is there such a secrecy maintained over the procedure of imports?  Agreed that such matters are of national importance and should not be disclosed to general public. But, we can at the least have a basic system of checks and ensure that these are not flouted. Perhaps, we cannot eliminate middle-men completely but we can at least get a transparent system in place to eliminate their influence. And, what is of utmost importance is the thorough testing of the imported weaponry.  Sub-standard equipments should at no cost be a part of the armed forces.

                The budget for Indian Army is one of the highest in the world. Hence, it provides a perfect breeding ground for the corrupts to make merry. But, this is the question of national security. We cannot show laxity in this regard. The guns of the army soldiers have not been upgraded. The policemen are fighting with a rifle. If we continue to show such apathy towards our security forces, then only God can save us if there is another 26/11 or a Kargil. If we are not well-equipped in the basic artillery, how are we supposed to excel with unmanned planes or weapons with AI?

                Also what does this mean for the jawan who actually fights on the border? Surely, he would have been deeply hurt over the events that have unfolded over the past few months. How will he show confidence in the weaponry that he has? Would his spirits not be dented by such unfortunate events? Some one’s greed for money is actually putting his life in risk. Unfortunately, the vigilante on the border has been conveniently ignored over the decades.

                Another shame was the leak of letter issue and the near fight between the General and the Minister of Defence.  Is this the kind of co-ordination that the Army and Government has? Perhaps, the PM could have stepped in before the fight got bigger.  But the PM had several other fires to douse. The lack of ammunition for tanks, though may be a rumor or a miscalculation, should not have got to the press. With two hostile nations ready to encroach on every inch of our space, is this the kind of preparedness that we are following?

Things must be done and must be done swiftly.  Indigenous production of weaponry, better co-ordination between the Army and Government, improved process of imports, better health and financial benefits for the jawans could be the few things that must be focused upon.

            But, the need of the hour is to respect the sanctity of the Army. Let us not make it another opportunity to siphon away billions. Let us not make them look like guards protecting fools. Let us respect them.