Deepak Sinha
The games around the One-Rank-One-Pension (OROP) scheme is getting curious day-by-day. At first, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar gave an unambiguous assurance that the Defence Ministry had forwarded the finalised proposal to the Finance Ministry and it was only be a matter of time before the Cabinet’s approval was obtained. He was forthright in stating that the only issue that remained pertained to how and when the implementation would be done.
However, the subsequent delay, followed by an uncharacteristic silence on part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi while hawking his first anniversary achievement, only adds to the apprehension in the minds of the military veteran community that all is not well. This culminated in a controversy involving a decorated war veteran’s refusal to be honoured by the Defence Minister and the Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis – an embarrassment the government could do without. Attempts to assuage the community by getting the Naval Chief, who has little locus standi on the issue since Chiefs already receive OROP as do all members of Parliament and the judiciary, to filibuster, only added to the problem.
This controversy finally forced the Prime Minister’s hand and he responded a few days later with an assurance that while OROP would be implemented, the delay was primarily because it’s definition lacked clarity. A decidedly odd statement, given that a committee constituted by the earlier Government had gone into this very matter and arrived at a definition acceptable to all the stakeholders, which was accepted by the earlier UPA Government. Subsequently, Mr Modi’s Government had wasted little time in acquiescing with the UPA’s policy decision, again publicly in Parliament. This sudden turnaround on the Prime Minister’s part along with rumours in the media that the financial implications of the proposal were more than double of that earlier calculated, can only mean that either the financial apparatus supporting the Defence Ministry is incredibly incompetent or that Mr Modi is being less than honest.
Modi’s actions clearly show that bureaucratic attempts at stalling this long-standing demand have again gained primacy. An increasingly vocal and active military veteran community has over the last few years sensitised the general public to the manner in which the Armed Forces have been systematically assaulted by a civilian bureaucracy, intent on subjugating it by destroying its ethos, reputation and status at all costs, regardless of its impact on cohesion and authority of the leadership and the institutional integrity of the Services with attendant damage to national security. That the bureaucracy has succeeded to a large extent is borne out by the fact that despite reasonable compensation and opportunities, in a country bereft of jobs, there has been a downward drift in those opting for the Services in the officer rank.
The embarrassment faced by the Army chief with the very public refusal of the rank and file to accept his ‘suggestion’ on contributing a day’s pay towards victims of flooding in Kashmir, is something unimaginable even a decade ago. The fact that the Services have been delinked from parity with the Class A services and have not been granted the non-functional upgrade, that the Class A services have appropriated for themselves and even made applicable to the para-military forces and the military engineering services, has impacted greatly on its chain of command and ignited unprecedented resentment within the serving community. Till now this resentment has only resulted in large numbers of competent officers quitting prematurely and attempting second careers in a more equitable environment.
Unfortunately, all personnel do not have that choice and it is only a matter of time before this deep seated resentment spills over and creates an unfortunate situation that will adversely impact our national security environment. This, in no way suggests that an assault on our democratic structures is likely. But something far more debilitating, sinister and dangerous, the likelihood that demoralisation, poor motivation, sub-standard leadership and chronic shortages will impact on the military’s ability to perform their missions to the levels required or expected of them. The bureaucracy’s penchant for playing with fire is quite likely to singe Modi and cause this nation irretrievable harm.
The simple fact that the political class has failed to grasp, or has been unwilling to accept, is that serving soldier of today is tomorrow’s veteran and that OROP was never just about the money, indubitably important that certainly is, but about honour, fidelity and respect. Corrective action to reinstate the Armed Forces to their rightful place is the need of the hour and OROP is but one small, but necessary, step in that direction.
