A Generals’ India- The politician ceding democratic space
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A Generals’ India- The politician ceding democratic space
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Posted at: Nov 4, 2016, 12:23 AM; last updated: Nov 4, 2016, 8:04 AM (IST)
STATECRAFT
A Generals' India
Harish Khare
The politician ceding democratic space
A Generals' India
Illustration: Sandeep Joshi
It is the Diwali day. The text message landed at 9.17 am: “Happy Diwali! Mins of YAS Sh Vijay Goel will celebrate Diwali with Army Jawans today 11.30am Rajputana Rifles Regimental Centre, Delhi Cant wid NYKS students. Pl. cover.” At 4.30 pm, there is another text: Hello Kindly check your mail box for Press Release — “Vijay Goel celebrates Diwali with Army Jawans” along with pictures of the event.
It is possible to infer confidently that other 60-odd Cabinet members were celebrating Diwali similarly in the conspicuous company of this or that Army unit. Nor can any one of them be chided for this PR overkill because they have been commanded to do so. In fact, advertisements had been appearing for days prior to Diwali, drawing attention to a PMO-directed campaign, called “Sandesh-to-Soldiers”, exhorting the citizens to remember this Diwali “our courageous jawans who constantly protect our nation. Lakhs of people have already sent their messages, have you?”
A few days earlier, the Chief Minister of Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal, was reported to have decreed that all officers be appropriately respectful to the soldiers and ex-soldiers whenever they visited a government office. The Economic Times (October 27) had reported how the BJP was preparing to send out Diwali greetings to soldiers' households in Uttar Pradesh. Both Punjab and Uttar Pradesh are due to have assembly elections in a few months’ time.
And, then, a few days after Diwali, we had on Wednesday a retired Army Subedar committing suicide, in support of the demand for one rank, one pension (OROP). That a retired Army man should commit suicide was sad enough; it is even sadder and uglier that professional political leaders should have sought to draw political mileage out of this tragedy. Earlier, the non-BJP political leaders were tut-tutting the government for wanting to do a bit of khoon ki dalali, now it was the turn of the BJP to pretend that a veteran’s suicide was nothing to get excited about and that it was in bad taste that someone should want to “politicise” the death.
How are the republican voices and constituency to view this extraordinary state-sponsored glorification of the military men, values and demands? Are we in the process of re-arranging the ensemble of institutional preferences? Examine, for instance, the Income Tax Department’s sales pitch. It takes out advertisements, showing a solitary solider standing guard over the forbidding mountainous border: “He is doing his duty…How about you?” The “he” is the Army Jawan, and “you” is the “tax deductor”, who is sternly reminded that TDS procedures must be totally complied with.
It is not too complicated to break the code of a new civil-military chemistry. Legitimacy, political respectability and electoral advantage are being sought to be derived from the soldier and his shahadat (martyrdom). Unthinkingly, new space, new respect and new autonomy are being ceded to the Army brass and other security forces.
In the post-surgical strike days, various ministers and authorised spokespersons have made it clear: (1) it is for the Army to decide whether or not to give the lie to Pakistan's preposterous claim that there were no cross-border raids; (2) it is for the Army to decide what should be the response to provocations, if any, from Pakistan; and (3) that what the Army says or claims ought to be accepted, without any kind of reservation or dissent.
The Republic finds itself at a fork in the road, an unfamiliar stage which could, in the long run, produce only democratic unhappiness. After all, all these years, generations after generations of Indians took pride in the fact that Jawaharlal Nehru and other democrats saw to it that the Army stayed in the barracks, and that the civil authority was firmly in control of matters of war and peace.
The political crowd did not need to piggyback the soldiers.
 The fundamental reality was that the constitutional and political legitimacy accrued to the political elites only because they could garner for themselves a mandate to govern, and that too, in an open, fair and transparent electoral contest. There was a sacredness to this authority from the citizens and it entitled them to obedience and respect. “We, the people of India” were to be the ultimate and only sovereign.
And, the political leader was deemed to be endowed with certain laudable skills and attitudes. He was respected as “a politician” because he undertook to understand the people's issues and grievances. A political operative who aspired to be recognised as a “leader” had to have the willingness to harmonise conflicting social values and claims to produce a kind of “public good.” Coercion was not to be his calling card; persuasion and motivation were to be his first, second and third preferences. Only autocrats rely on force and intimidation.
All these years, there had been a complete consensus that the armed forces were a valuable institution, deriving its authority and parameters from the Constitution, and, that, as an institution, the armed forces were committed to democratic and secular values. The armed forces, to be fair, never asserted that they were outside the ambit of democratic accountability; nor did they demand a lion's share in the national resources. Unlike in our neighbourhood, the armed forces never subscribed to a grammar of entitlements. This despite the fact that in the last three decades or so we have come to depend heavily on the coercive arm of the Indian state to restore a semblance of order in large parts of the country.
Yet, we find ourselves witness to the process of re-arranging some of the working assumptions that have served the Indian republic well for all these years. Unlike in Pakistan, where it were the Army Generals who made the judgement that the politicians were incompetent and incapable of safeguarding the best interests of their nation; we are not just deferring too much to the Generals, we are also redefining “competence”. Suddenly, it would seem that competence of a leader is to be judged by his willingness to allow the use of force. And, a willingness to let the “security forces” be the judge of how to use force, when to use it.
And, once we let the “security forces” write their own ticket, the others who have capacity to initiate and inflict violence also take a cue. If the Army can give a “bloody nose to the Pakis”, so can the BSF; and if, the BSF can be allowed to over-react, why can’t the cops in Bhopal go on a shooting spree and gun down a few SIMI boys?
All this adds up to a new but troublesome acceptance of violence. Nehru's India is forging a new identity under the shadow of joyful acceptance of conflict. Elements of a garrison state are being grafted on to the republic's escutcheon.
48 Comments

harinder • 18 hours ago
Mr Khare you have woken up too late in a day to see garrison state to which people are being herded . Gandhian congress showed its Freudian desire when its central leadership gave its self a military appellation High Command. Salute the soldier and I am a better person because I command you to salute. So salute me also. This is formulation of Deshbakts

Jeen71 harinder • an hour ago
I think it's unfair to Khare for saying that he's awakened too late to this. We had our share of leaders like Indira Gandhi who demanded absolute subservience and imposed emergency when things did not go her way, but overall our armed forces were well under civilian control during our short history of free India. That's a legacy of Nehru and the way our founding fathers nurtured our democratic institutions.
Only recently, we have seen a strong desire to put armed forces in front and Mr. Khare takes the bull by the horns. Kudos to him.

WWW harinder • 12 hours ago
Indian Defence Forces have always deferred to the democratically elected Govt and have always been there in every emergency they were called upon to handle, from natural disasters to defence of the country from external and internal enemies. They stand out in a neighbourhood that is notorious of producing little Napoleons.

Thinker harinder • an hour ago
Yes, we know you're anti party, Harinder, so you salute us too!! :D :D :D

rakeshkatyal • 9 hours ago
Mr Khare why are you scared. If India wants to be a power to be counted then the time has come for the generals to be involved in nation's decision making. And mind you they will do a much better job than the bureaucrats and so called intellectuals.

Indian rakeshkatyal • 4 hours ago
It was idiots like you who said the same about 'generals' in Pakistan in 1950s. And we see the end result

rakeshkatyal Indian • 4 hours ago
Wasn't even born in 50's. you are talking more idiotic than Khare.

DP G rakeshkatyal • 7 hours ago
Military rule will be permanent end to the democracy . When a General grabs power , he becomes a politician , all corrupt and selfish , with one motive only ; to continue to be the dictator . Look at the fate of Pakistan under all military officers turned Dictators ; Ayub to Yahya to Musharraf and in IRAQ and Libya . The idea of military dictatorship in India is too nostalgic and stinks . It is the worst thing that could happen to this country. The defence forces should be restricted to defence use only and any talk to involve them in political matters can prove disastrous .

rakeshkatyal DP G • 7 hours ago
Let us not create fear, at one extreme is army rule and at the other extreme is keeping generals completely away from decision making process. I think both need to be avoided.

DP G rakeshkatyal • 6 hours ago
The generals should only be involved in decision making process relating to defence matters. Involving them in political decisions will be politicising the defence forces .

rakeshkatyal DP G • 6 hours ago
Totally agreed, presently they are kept out of the loop even in defence matters. That is where the problem lies.

Jeen71 DP G • an hour ago
Even for defense matters, they should take orders and tell the civilian leadership what they need to implement an order.

DP G Jeen71 • 42 minutes ago
Exactly . The president is the Supreme Commanders of combined armed forces . In any democracy army is always subordinate to the Government and is bound to follow its orders .

Jeen71 rakeshkatyal • an hour ago
It's not fear-mongering, it's basic common sense.

Jeen71 rakeshkatyal • an hour ago
Do you know how a democracy works? I suggest take a Civics 101 book and read it. People like you don't deserve to live in India. They deserve an dictatorship like Pakistan or Egypt.

MandeepS rakeshkatyal • 5 hours ago
"generals to be involved in nation's decision making"... Armed forces have been literally begging for a representation in pay commission... Why not that decision first.

rakeshkatyal MandeepS • 5 hours ago
That is part of decision making

Imran khan rakeshkatyal • 9 hours ago
So then, are we heading towards Army rule? if Modi continues to misuse Army for his political gains, the generals may decide it is time to take over the reigns of the country. Can't say whether it would be good or bad for India. According to your reckoning, the general would do a much better job of ' nation's decision making'. India is surely at a very critical juncture.

rakeshkatyal Imran khan • 7 hours ago
At one extreme is army rule and at the other extreme is keeping generals completely away from decision making process. I think both need to be avaoided.

Imran khan • 11 hours ago
A very thoughtful piece from the versatile pen of Dr. Khare. The issues raised can be debated upon endlessly. I doubt if the so-called deshbhakats would ever understand the implications in the right perspective. Modi's sudden and new-found love for the jawan is quite understandable. Instead of directing his ministers to celebrate diwali with jawans, he should have directed them to send their sons for a stint in the Army. But then how many of them would have complied?
All this does not augur well for India. Before trying to make India another Israel, Modi should focus on providing food and shelter to the millions of hungry and homeless people. Sometimes I begin to doubt if he has got a sound brain without any crank. He seems to have fallen in love with himself.

Jeen71 Imran khan • an hour ago
It's not really Israel. In Israel also, the armed forces are answerable to civilian leadership. Pakistan is a better comparison.

brk • 8 hours ago
Mr Khare,
Arn't Service personnel citizen of this country or they are just the servants to be on beck and call when needed? It is their neck which is at stake, so they have to be involved.

Jeen71 brk • an hour ago
They can vote and elect leaders and participate in civilian matters as free citizens, but as part of the armed forces, they are still answerable to the civilian leadership

WWW • 12 hours ago
Indian Defence Forces have always deferred to the democratically elected Govt and have always been there in every emergency they were called upon to handle, from natural disasters to defence of the country from external and internal enemies. They stand out in a neighbourhood that is notorious for producing little Napoleons.
What kind of Defence Forces do you want Mr Khare since you seem very unhappy with the ones we have?
Incidentally Sir, the cartoon with your editorial showing a soldier leading politicians was extremely offensive. Please find some other ways to settle your grudge against BJP without attacking the defence Forces.

Indian • 4 hours ago
The rulers have a problem. On the one hand they want to USE the respect people have for our armed forces for their own political purposes through jingoism and fake patriotism AND on the other hand they are 'downgrading' army in relation to police and civil babus in every aspect.
These two trends cannot coexist for very long.

Shamsul Islam • 4 hours ago
It's a timely warning from Mr. Khare about terrible times ahead if immediate corrective steps are not taken. India would soon become another Pakistan where army was put on a pedestal which was beyond any scrutiny and above any critics. If Islam was the the official religion, only Pakistani army had the franchisee of Islam. If 'god' was sitting above in the heavens, army of Pakistan were his 'farishtaas'. Under Modi ji's rule Hindutva is going to be the State religion and our professional, secular and non-political army to become a part of this juggernaut. We hope Hindutva rulers will fail in this venture of undoing a democratic-secular India.

Bharat Swaraj Shamsul Islam • an hour ago
By reducing the conversation to Hindutva and Islam you do a disservice to the forum and dilute the strength of your logic.

Jeen71 Bharat Swaraj • 41 minutes ago
I do not see how. His central theme is about confluence between religion and armed forces. This is not what Mr. Khare implied, but it's still interesting conclusion...

RP Chaturvedi Shamsul Islam • 3 hours ago
Would you care to note that while this has happened in Pakistan nearly all through since 1947, India has a totally different story? What is this oft repeated 'Wolf' being cried out about an Indian Military Takeover? Some years ago a prominent Newspaper ran it as front page story. Its sad that such planted fears mischievously surface when military grievances are pointed out. Involvement in Policy matters is not tantamount to Military Rule. By that logic, would you say US has 'Military Rule'? The author of this piece has joined the jigsaw pieces of BJPs efforts to imbibe respect for soldiers through salutes/ greetings to point out dangerous trends which may lead to Generals 'take over' or 'overimportance'. Author can not be unaware that such respect flows naturally to citizens in advanced countries. In a 'America's Got Talent' telecast when a participant identified himself as a Marine veteran, the judge opened with "Thank You for your service Sir" . Is that because America is under military rule? My advise to author: "Sir, grow out of the fear of your military. Its YOUR Military, they bail you out of floods, they bring you out of rubble when all about you may not be able to, they rescue you, at times even when you are a policeman yourself- witness Haryana Circa 2016". They are not brutes, they are the last bastion of the nation. And if you suggest that they should ONLY do their primary job, that of fighting external enemy, believe me, you have our vote. We definitely don't cherish being pitted against our own citizens, for we are them, and they are us. But even when that happens, and we are so deployed by our Civil Masters- Yes, legislative is precisely that; we take casualties all the time avoiding collateral damage. Some armies in the world don't care to do that, deploying massive firepower instead, to avoid casualties to themselves. I recommend caution in writing about the last bastion of nationhood. AND YES, the accompanying cartoon somehow appeared weird.

Jeen71 RP Chaturvedi • 39 minutes ago
US military is totally answerable to civilian leadership, it;s never above questions. The new trend is aligning our forces with more like Pakistan

Bharat Swaraj RP Chaturvedi • an hour ago
Very well articulated. This malady was rooted in our system by Nehru. The personality culture must be replaced by instituitional culture. Antics that defy stupidity will than not be necessary to bring about an artificial respect, and, even more ridiculous caricatures resorted . Very poor substances Mr Khare and even poorer taste . It reflects benign ignorance

Truth Survives • 7 hours ago
+1 Kudos. Article that invites introspection by all citizens. This move towards a garrison state is the basis of RSS hate being sowed in by its stooges , the highest order of which is Dumb Modi.

WWW • 12 hours ago
" SIMI boys"
Yes, Sir, really very innocent boys too except indulging in little boyish pranks of slitting throats.

DP G WWW • 7 hours ago
They have to be proved so and then punished. You can just not catch any one declare him a terrorist and then kill him without trial. It is pure anarchy.

WWW DP G • 6 hours ago
Weren't they running away from the law after slitting the throat of Head Warden Yadav?

Jeen71 WWW • 43 minutes ago
Let's kill Sadhvi Pragya and other HIndu terrorists also before their guilt can be proven in court of law. Because we are living in a banana republic, where this is all fair game.

Indian WWW • 4 hours ago
Yes! they were all running away when they were shot. That is why they have multiple bullet entries in their chests ( in the front).
Were their chests at the back or is your brain in your backside??

Thinker • an hour ago
Tribune Board! Aapko pahle bhi suggest kiya tha ke ye sarkar ke PMO se nikala hua third rate journalist ko aapne the holy Tribune ka Editor bana diya!?

Jeen71 • an hour ago
Mr. Khare again hits the nail on the head.
"If the Army can give a “bloody nose to the Pakis”, so can the BSF; and if, the BSF can be allowed to over-react, why can’t the cops in Bhopal go on a shooting spree and gun down a few SIMI boys? "
In fact, I made a similar comment few days back, when BSF claimed to have destroyed many Pakistani outposts. But in this game of onemanupship, human lives are being lost on both sides.

Bharat Swaraj • an hour ago
The article is restricted to an analysis within the confines of existing images of the miilitary political body and influenced by the experiences of Pakistan. It misses the point of AN ESTABLISHMENT THAT USES THE BEST SKILLS AVAILABLE IN DECISION MAKING. Drawing comparatives with BSF and Bhopal police further distracts from the issue of using the best skills available in DECISION making. In our society the politician is intellectually ill equipped in matters military, the Babu less. Handing control to a General is obviously not a good idea. Interposing an intituitional body (of men with the necessary skills) to recommend a course of action could be considered. The prime minister could than agree or disagree with strong reasons and take responsibility for the decision.
A suggested instituition, National Security Council composed of retired heads of the three services, a financial analysis expert a foreign relations expert. This instituition would have no executive authority however any dissent with its final analysis would be made public and reasons for dissent recorded, not arbitary , even the prime minister can not have arbitary authority, to degrade an instituition (read military) like Nehru and Krishna Menon did and invite a 62 debacle.Extremes of both peace and war do not behove well for a nation. A balanced analysis by competent bodies does.

SHUBH KARN GUPTA • 6 hours ago
By the Editor's standards USA is and was always a garrison state not a democracy

Jeen71 SHUBH KARN GUPTA • 38 minutes ago
No, it s not. US military is totally answerable to civilian leadership, it;s never above questions. The new trend is aligning our forces with more like Pakistan

J.S.Acharya • 7 hours ago
Your "Nehru's India is forging a new identity ..." ! Height of sycophancy !!
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