Service chiefs, stand up and say no

Officers were up in arms blaming service headquarters for this mess, demanding a contradiction by the chiefs of the minister’s claim and the unthinkable: their resignation. A serving colonel said: “military leadership has lost its gumption and the time has come for the services to talk to their political masters from a position of strength, starting with refusals’ ” as part of a disobedience’ campaign.

The heated panel discussion at the USI climaxed with the suggestion that 10,000 officers should march from the Jai Jawan memorial to the Rashtrapati Bhavan and meet their Supreme Commander. A similar march was carried out by service pensioners in Pakistan a few years ago. The Sandhurst-trained general chairing the panel discussion put the lid on it tacitly suggesting that use of undemocratic methods was against service ethos.

The point was made: the armed forces have been taken for a ride by successive central pay commissions. The point not made but evident from the howl of grievances and the real cause of heartburn is the services’ gradual removal from the decision-making process and that they no longer count. Neither on the three-member pay commission nor on the 130-member pay commission cell and not even on the several review bodies was any service officer serving or retired admitted even as an advisor.

While pay scales have indeed been increased and allowances hiked for soldiers, sailors and airmen, even bigger raises have been given to civilians, with the IAS enjoying elite status. There was no recognition by the FPC of the unique job soldiers are doing including their many sacrifices. In the months of June and July, 74 and 48 coffins of soldiers transitted through Delhi were dumped on trolleys in the cargo terminal of the airport. For defending the integrity of the country, they were being equated by the FPC with a constable and paid less than a peon.

The joke is that all civilian government employees will continue to get overtime allowance and central paramilitary organisations 13 months’ salary. But only .001 per cent of the army will get the Siachen allowance. The feeling of injustice and hurt has been aggravated by the devious methods employed by the IAS to do down the services.

There is much song and dance about the 3.25-fold increase in Brigadier’s pay. What is not known is that in status he has now been put below a DIG who has been equated with a joint secretary, both of whom have half the brigadier’s 32 years of service. The list of anomalies, irritants and ambiguities in the award is mind boggling.

Has it not occurred to anyone that what the soldiers are asking for is more respect. As the services’ demands projected to the Prime Minister by the chiefs have been met only nominally, where do they go from here? The need of the hour remains, if deterrence is part of the Gujral Doctrine, an improved pay and prestige package which will ensure the retention and attraction of quality manpower. The USI adopted a resolution to forward servicemen’s grievances to all the political parties and get the issue raised in Parliament. It is too late for that. In these columns six months ago, the author had written that sometimes the services chiefs needed to stand up and say no to the government and consider going beyond it. That time is now.The writer is a retired Major-General