Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
I was initially reluctant to write this letter to you. But, since The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence have now been postponed, and your next trip to Mumbai is shrouded in uncertainty, thereby robbing our chance for a brief heart-to-heart, I felt that this would probably be the best way to catch your attention.
With every newspaper leader writer churning out editorials full of admonishment, you might just like to read this column, by way of a pleasant diversion. This column also proposes to provide you with some counsel-unsolicited, as always.
* The first piece of advice for you would be to revisit the sixth pay commission recommendations for the armed forces. This encompasses all associated issues, such as reduction in status as well as disparity in pay scales with civilian counterparts. True, there is some merit in the argument that, as a democracy, India needs to maintain its fine civilian-military balance. It’s our strength and that should be preserved. But, that same divide is now becoming a deep rift and could pose unspeakable dangers.
Tarun Reflex 
Civil supremacy does not mean the supremacy of the civil and police services over the military but the supremacy of the President, the parliament and the council of ministers.India is a democratic republic and not a bureaucratic one.The equation that was laid down by Nehru at the time of independence has been disturbed to the detriment of the defence srvices by selfish civil servant taking advantage of weak political leaders in power.Let us have a look at the other great democracies of the world and restore the image and status of the defence services. It is they who save our lives by laying down theirs. You destroy their will and morale you destroy India, which includes the civil service.After all it was the military that saved us in Munmbai even if you called them by the name of NSG commandos.
Comment by V K Das — Tuesday, December 2, 2008 @ 7:08 am |