It was pathetic to see visuals of the longest serving Defence Minister of India on national TV yesterday evening avoiding media persons wanting to question him on the revelations made in the Shyam Saran report about the willing surrender of hundreds of square kms of Indian Territory to China in Ladakh. His sheepish smile, folded hands and sealed lips said it all. Why he has abrogated his responsibility as Defence Minister to defend the territory of this country despite thumping the table in Parliament that J&K is an integral part of India can be conjectured till eternity, but the following facts stare you in the face that during his tenure as the longest serving Defence Minister:
Combat capability gap between PLA and Indian Military has been allowed to widen systematically.
- A National Security Strategy has not been defined and National Security Objectives not outlined.
- The Higher Defence Organizations have not been streamlined.
- No efforts have been made to developing synergy within the Military.
- The military-industrial complex is in pathetic state.
- Military has deliberately not been integrated with MoD.
- Combat capability gap between PLA and Indian Military has been allowed to widen systematically.
- No action was taken after discovery of the permanent Chinese intrusion at Sirijap in 2007.
- Major intrusion has been permitted in area of Pangong Tso including a 10 kms road of PLA in Indian Territory.
- Post the April 2013 PLA intrusion in Depsang, Army was forced to dismantle its surveillance structure at Chumar (400 kms from the Raki Nala intrusion) before the PLA intruders returned.
- Army’s limit of patrolling has been restricted by MoD deliberately.
- No effort has been made even now to place the ITBP in these sensitive areas under command the Army despite repeated incursions and intrusions by the Chinese.
- Army has been gagged to not make any statement on China to the media.
- No effort has been made by MoD to develop the border infrastructure in required manner, which is responsibility of MoD with Border Roads Organization directly under command.
With disclosure of 654 sq kms territory to China, the million dollar question is will the Defence Minister have the shame to resign? A bigger question is whether the Prime Minister will demand his resignation or is he himself party to this national territory fraud? Then is the question whether the Government can at least feel the shame to call off the so called India-China joint exercise in October or is the Congress oath bound to continue the Nehruvian policy of disdain of the military, keeping them out of security related deliberations and strategy formulation, and above all nonchalance to surrender of territory? So far, there appear no such indications they would shed this legacy. So, are we going to witness Anthony presiding over the India-China joint exercise, putting this country to greater shame while the PLA laughs all the way home?
The cake of course is taken by the Foreign Minister. The Shyam Saran report was submitted on 10th August and he tells the media on 5th September he hasn’t had the time to study the report and that he needs time for this. The question is how many years of study leave should he be granted in order to digest this report? Remember, post the April PLA intrusion in Depsang, he said it was a small acne, went to China to tie up the visit of Li Keqiang, made no mention of this 19 kms deep intrusion to his counterpart at Beijing, and on return to India told reporters that he is yet to figure out why this intrusion had happened. If he still has not been able to figure out why the 19 kms deep intrusion took place then how can you expect him to figure out how 654 sq kms territory been surrendered and in what timeframe? On top of it, tells the media we cannot have soldiers everywhere – since when has he acquired the responsibility of deploying troops? Then we have MEA saying there is no cause for alarm so whole of MEA is absolved and of course the NSA knows Mandarin! Now if the Foreign Minister has not been able to find the time to study the Shaym Saran report, what are the more important things that he has been engaged with? Could he explain it to the Indian population?
If MoD has set the limits of patrolling for the Army, MHA too would have done so, perhaps even more Southwards since the Home Minister said in April this year, “we have no jurisdiction in the area.”
But where does the Home Minister figure in all this? The ITBP responsible for defence of Despang and Chumar areas is directly under him, not under the Army. If MoD has set the limits of patrolling for the Army, MHA too would have done so, perhaps even more Southwards since the Home Minister said in April this year, “we have no jurisdiction in the area.” Wouldn’t China and Pakistan literally adore these qualities? The important question now is that if the ITBP too has limits of patrolling, what about the Karakoram Pass north of Depsang? When did the ITBP patrol it last and what vintage is the photograph of the ITBP patrol at Karakoram Pass displayed at ITBP HQ? Are the Chinese occupying Karakoram Pass already? The Army might as well have a permanent deployment at Saser La, before the PLA comes to occupy this too and threatens the maintenance route to Base Camp of our deployments at Saltoro Ridge.
Going by previous record little can be expected from the Prime Minister, not even a statement. If the Foreign Minister has not had the time to study the report in the past one month, how does one expect the Prime Minister to find time for such mundane issues?” It is for India to ask the question and media to dig for proof. For that matter the media report of the of 60 lakh crore scam of Thorium being illegally mined and exported, how much is going to China? Strangely, a lid has again been put on the issue. It is no surprise that yesterday there was more TV coverage on Asaram and Vanjara but not more than 30 minutes debate on 654 sq kms territory gifted away to China. Some years back, a serving Army Chief had referred to this ilk as Bandicoots. It appears they have really risen. It is for India to decide what to do with them.
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In 1962 Nehru, advised by a coterie of weak and incometent military leadership, decided on the defensive strategy of defending the indefensible forwad posts with catostrophic effects.I do not know whether it is prudent on our part to construct roads upto the border when Chinese are suprior to us in men and materials.I am sure,Army is not looking forward on characters like antony and Salman Khurshid in planning their strategy.I do not think Antony has read any book on our 1962 disaster,(His favourite reading is comics).All therse fellows are given the ministership only due to their loyality to the Italian High Command of the Congress party and not because of their comptence. Army should keep this in mind.
I have spent a lot of time there and to be honest no body knows what to do there. The ITBP hangs around trying to survive in those climes, they are not even policing those areas effectively. The Army pays scant attention since its the baby of the MHA. In this buggers muddle the Nation peddles its security away. If defence ministry officials are scarcely seen in the forward areas, MHA officials are non existent. How many areas of dispute have been seen by the home minister? Which government top official visited the area after the last major Chinese intrusion. Intrusions are nothing new they have been happening all along after the 62 war. Has Manmohan Singh ever visited an army unit in the forward areas? Its a matter of shame that a Nation can be so callous about its security.
I have perused the comments, I feel, that we should not wait for china & pak to mount an attack and then hang the culprits who allow it, but take pre-emptive action by hanging them now so as to warn both China & Pak not to even think of attacking. However would liketo add another category to those who should be at the end of the rope…The SERVING and now retired GENERALS/ADMIRALS/AIR MARSHALS who have allowed things to reach this state.
India is not the property of the Indian, as property is disputed between Indians, in the nation. Both India and China must realize, that the soldier isn’t defending personal property or territory. I am sure that the Defense Minister is the best person in the U. P. A. to be in his berth, and he must visit the sites. The many Major Generals must be visible to the Chinese and Indian soldiers, and from both the armies. If high ranking military officials see each other across the border, it will be good for both nations.
What are you trying to say? Can you please say it more clearly in Bangla? Thank you.
Bandicoots are the right names for these looters ! It is frightening to see how systematically these bandicoots are undermining the safety of the Nation ! While this is completely unacceptable, I can only sincerely pray that there is no well planned nefarious agenda of these looters in what is going on, and it is rather due to their incapability to address and sort out the issue !
every one from the CCS including the president should resign, but suckers will allow them to carry on as if everything is ok, is there a bigger crime than this? all retired members of the armed forces should form a political party, try and gain people’s support and for god’s sake save the country. but if your one of the sucker’s
then keep on pushing your pen and keep pretending that you care,
It was General Rodriques who called the enemy bandicoots. For that he was sensured in parliament ! . So what to expect now from the current parliament.
WE HAVE NINCOMPOOPS IN DEF MINISTRY, TOPPED BY THE DEF MINISTER, SECRETARIES AND THEIR UNDERLINGS SHOULD BE LISTED. WHEN CHINA AND PAK TOGETHER ATTACK US AND TAKE AWAY J&K AND WHATEVER ELSE THEY WANT, THEY SHOULD BE SUMMONED AND HUNG
What a terrible shame! One could let out a stream of abuses at these scum but little good would it do. It would be like water off a duck’s back. Doob marna chahiye in sabon ne.
What a terrible shame! I could reel out a stream of abuses but it would not touch these… It would still be like water off a duck’s back. Chullu bhar pani mein doob marna chahiye in sabon ne.
It seems, that China didn’t want Indian territory at all after the 1962 Sino Indian War. They wanted people not to go from one nation to the other freely, if either state had no understanding with the other. The Cultural Revolution was happening, and I think, the Chinese felt Tibetans were contributing to the revolution, when they didn’t need to. At least, not in the way, it was meant to be. Tibet did not have the consequences of the Cultural Revolution, in the way Beijing and other mainland areas felt the after effects, as well as the happenings, when they happened.
The way I see it, in a military stalemate, where the situation seems to not be to the advantage of the attacker or defender, the party that takes advantage of the stalemate, in any which way, is the winner. Every battle is a stalemate, sometime. The Indian force of mountaineers and the Chinese force on their side, are the stalemate, to the effect, in the existence.
What seems apparent is, that the ‘waste-land’ identity of Aksai Chin, and the fact that the Prime Minister Nehru didn’t want to man the border, for good will, at Aksai Chin, when the Chinese were concerned about intrusions into the Muslim dominated Chinese province north of Aksai Chin, from Kashmir, and that Ladakh is Buddhist, and not Muslim, seems to have been the cause of Chinese intrusions perceived then, across the border. The Chinese then felt, out of military and diplomatic norm, that India having her significance, she was not to be a friend, and whereas India was a strategic nation in the region, and China was made Security Council permanent member, Pakistan could have a similar understanding, after. Pakistan is a formal diplomatic entity, and China returns the perception. Pakistan is aware of the relationship China had with India, and China seems to be very aware, that they wanted the border at Aksai Chin manned, due to the border Pakistan shares with Afghanistan.
This has not come as a surprise to most of us who have been following the pattern of Chinese incursions in to Indian territory. UPA2’s silence can be for only two reasons. Either they are incompetent and incapable of defending the country or they have sold out the national interest to the enemies. But why is the army silent? Is the 1.13 million army too scared to speak up and can be gagged so easily? What is stopping the army from anonymously leaking information to the media? If India has lost hundreds of square kms of territory and the top Generals have sealed their lips then what does the average Indian citizen conclude? Does the civilian supremacy principle imply that the Chinese will gleefully gobble up Indian territory and the top Generals would remain dutifully gagged? Lt. Gen Sir, the army’s silence on this issue is deafening and just does not wash. Or perhaps the top Generals are expecting cushy post retirement assignments. The nation wants answers from both the government and the army.
Thank you for your comments Sir. In Ladakh the ITBP has been made responsible for Depsang and Chumar areas and deliberately not put under command the army despite continuous incursions. The public does not know that these areas are not under the army. In July, the visiting DG ITBP told army authorities that the ITBP has a separate agenda from the army. Notwithstanding this, the army could forcefully take up to place the ITBP under command (they may have) and take counter actions in case of intrusions even if they occur in the areas with the ITBP. One wonders why no political parties have called for the Army Chief and DG ITBP to make statements in the Parliament and answer questions of the MPs.