Spare Armed Forces From Politicisation , Bureaucratisation or Cheap Populism : “जहाँ मिले पाँच माली वहाँ बाग सदा ख़ाली”
R.K.Upadhyay 
Before studying armed forces , it is best to examine the second best and most professional organisation set up by British i.e. The Indian Railways . In the last twenty years about thirty committees have been set up to improve its working of which about eighteen were external, excluding pet projects / views of its often mercurial heads . Each committee succeeded in spoiling an extremely well run organisation which had totally indigenised the rolling stock and track without fanfare and had increased traffic more than ten times on the same track. But its isolation and separate budget made rest of the power hungry bureaucrats jealous so committees were used as trojan horses to destroy well defended Troy. I will not analyse details but say with authority that IR system we inherited was superior to the mutilated system now with thirty committees imprints.
Now it is the turn of last of the great independent organisation i.e. The Armed Forces to fall prey to the predatory tactics of bureaucracy and often misguided political leaders and even judiciary some times.
It all began with Pandit Nehru being very cautious about preventing army coups like in Pakistan. The first Indian Chief of Army General Cariappa had no such intentions and he handed over charge in 1953 gracefully. In fact it is rumoured that Smt Gandhi offered power to the then army chief after election defeat in 1977 but he gracefully refused . Yet ignoring these precedence Babus sold the attempted coup bogey by General V K Singh and even tried ordering DGMO directly under threat of alleging ‘ Mutiny ‘. High value of defence purchases adds incentive for intervention.
It would not be prudent to go in details but I just give the list decisions needing rethinking .
- Agniveer Scheme
- Junior CDS and Premature Theatre Commands over Chiefs.
- FIR against army personnel by police.
- Cantonment land being made public.
- Ignoring Seniority in senior promotions.
- Induction of women in armed forces and the creeping WOKISM.
- Uniform change unwanted by service needs .
- Delay in OROP implementation by bureaucracy and resultant demotivation.
- Low defence procurement budget.
- Pension being considered a burden . It is better to stop armed police recruitment instead and use army personnel in stead .
We should reconsider the need of a Defence Secretary which becomes centre of Gen V K Singh coup type rumours to mislead the political leadership.
We must remember that army is run by the tales of bravery and honour and hurting the honour of soldiers or officers is the worst crime authorities can commit. Even courts should minimise interference in armed forces affairs and let them sort out as per army traditions.
