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The following is another guest post by BeeCee, a retired senior flag rank officer of the Indian Navy who has in the past been associated with cadre management and pay issues in the services. Take a look at his earlier posts here & here
Having been goaded into reading the IE editorial and Shiv Aroor’s defence of it, I am willing to concede lack of malice. Shekhar Gupta may even have got it right on some bureaucratic -military implications, but I think he has entirely missed the point on what’s going on.
I also agree with him that Mr. Antony has not exactly covered himself with glory, but for quite the opposite reasons. Instead of drawing attention to, and seeking accountability from the SCPC and the Committee of Secretaries who have brought this situation to pass, he seems to have let attention drift to the Chiefs who have highlighted the problem. But this is also precisely the problem with the IE editorial. It shifts both the focus and the responsibility from those responsible for the mess, to those who cried foul.
The Profession of Arms is nothing if not about standing up for a ‘Just Cause’. And I suspect the Service Chiefs have done just that – Stand up for a cause they believe to be Just. The Service Hqs have made too many mistakes in the past on their approach to pay related issues. Now if they have managed to draw attention to the charade that takes place every decade in the name of Pay commissions, they have done signal service not just to the armed forces, but the country as a whole. I don’t think trivializing it, is in the larger national interest.
The article in the Observer on what the bureaucrats apportion to themselves around every CPC is merely an indicator of what goes on without public or political scrutiny.
Some of the best recommendations of the last CPC came in the ‘note of dissent’ of Mr. Suresh Tendulkar, then Member FCPC and now Economic Adviser to the PM. Would somebody ask him to have a look at what is going on and see what has happened to V CPC reccos on reigning in the bureaucracy.
I am no fan of the V CPC (report is on the net, on the same site as the VI CPC), but even where there was no dissent, there were recommendations to bring some sense into babudom. This included re-iteration of the IV CPC norm of uniform pay progression up to 13th year (for organized Gp A services) and establishment of a model cadre structure ie a fixed percentage of the officers’ strength in each pay grade. The former was implemented for Civil and Armed Forces officers but the latter wasn’t implemented though accepted for civil services, by the Committee of Secretaries. Therein lies the crux of the whole issue now brought into the open by the Service Chiefs.
If implemented for the civil services, a break will be applied on the practice of a handful of civil services promoting every entrant, good, bad, indifferent or however disjointed, to a joint-secretary’s pay in a relatively short time.
More importantly, other more professional/technical civil services will realize how they have been done in by the 'elite services' and could find a well-deserved place in decision making. If implemented for the armed forces, all Cols would move to the joint-secretary’s pay giving them compensation comparable to civil services. But it would alter the civil servant’s perception of his own importance.
The lack of home-work in the SCPC report may be over-looked, but it is the attempt at quiet burial of some fair, transparent norms attempted by two previous CPCs, by both the SCPC and the current lot of Secretaries, that is at the root of the present imbroglio. Some accountability is in order, but definitely not from those who blew the whistle.
Nor is this happening for the first time as IE says. It was the firm stand taken by a former CNS on pay issues that set the bureaucracy against him. What is probably different now is that the other two Chiefs have also stood firm. Public memory may be short, but newspapers should be having archives. IE may however have another point there. Dereliction of duty may be too strong a phrase, but inaction in the past has definitely added to the burden of present incumbents.
As to what is going on, I am not in uniform, but what can be seen from the media, blogs etc is that there has been a loss of innocence at the middle and lower levels of the Officer corps. With the loss of innocence has also come a loss of trust of the bureaucracy and the political class. In the past, even while deriding each other, there was still an implicit trust (often misplaced) that if one were to lose life and limb in the line of duty, it was for a worthy cause or that his family would be taken care of. Now they seem to be wondering.
Regaining that trust is going to be a much more up-hill battle for the government (and the media) than any perceived kinks in civil military relations. That may in fact be the curse of this CPC, not what the Chiefs did.
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30 comments:
i fully agree with the flag officer as far as the lack of trust at middle level officer cadre on govt and system is concerned....
sir most of us have fought CI OPS..OP VIJAY..OP PARAKRAM..CI OPS IN NORTH EAST...WE VE ALSO SEEN THE treatment given to the family of a soldier after he makes the supreme sacrifice..
what happened to all the martyrs of kargil..a medal was given to their family..some promises were made..half of them remain unfulfilled...
soldiers lose their land in their home town to land mafia..as a company cdr i handled to such cases..in one of the case i spoke right up to the DIG of the area but no use..later that poor soldier told me that the other person has bribed the local police officer..
in second case a NCO'S family was harassed by a policeman itself..i took up the case with his office an enquiry was ordered and then i was communicated that nothing was found in the enquiry...
and finally we had to write to the DGP,IG,DIG,everyone with an hope that atleast the harassement will stop if no action is taken against the policeman...
see the case of BRIG..who lost his life at Afganistan and the IFS..WHO ALSO DIED there..the gesture of govt and PM can be openly seen...
look at the govt response to THE GR8 FD MARSHALL SAM BAHDUR..
THERE R N INSTANCES WHICH CAN BE QUOTED BY EVERY SOLDIER...
DEFINATELY..THE DAMAGE DONE TO ARMY BY GOVT AND BABUS..WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO REPAIR IN NEAR FUTURE..AND ITS EFFECT WILL BE SEEN SHORTLY BY THE ENTIRE NATION..
source :shiv aroor blog....
On Tuesday evening, the Ministry of Defence formally denied the existence of a sensitive article from South Block that Headlines Today put on air the same afternoon -- an article honestly, violently and articulately full of hate for the bureaucracy, and packed with insider detail of just how the pay commission mess has been allowed to snowball into the crisis it is now. Denial apart (there's no way the Ministry could accept the existence of such an article -- that would be tantamount to admitting just how dangerous things have gotten), we stuck by our story and went on air with it again primetime at 9.30pm Tuesday night, double pep, through the night and the earlier half of today. The note, being called an "article" has been authored by senior serving officer(s). Well since the Ministry of Defence denies the existence of the article (in essence, a retort to Shekhar Gupta's column from October 4), and we stand by it, I thought I'd put it up here for anyone who cares to have a look at it. These are excerpts:
Setting Up of Committee of Secretaries (CoS). CoS was set up to look into and resolve the anomalies in the 6th CPC report, as highlighted by various Central Govt cadres.
Armed Forces Representative Not Included In Any Capacity. Verbal assurances were offered by the officials of the Def Ministry that the issues raised by the Armed Forces were well understood by them and will be pursued most honestly and diligently by the Def Secy (a member in the CoS). Hence, they justified non-inclusion of any Armed Forces Rep in the CoS, even in advisory or observer capacity.
Opaqueness in Deliberations of CoS. In absence of any communication from the CoS, the Chairman COSC formally sought that the findings and recommendation of the CoS be shared with the Armed Forces for them to attach their concurrence or observations, if any, prior to the same being submitted to the Cabinet for “Informed Decision Making”. No formal or Informal Response was received to this formal request.
Cabinet Decision : Ill Informed. The Cabinet could not be faulted in giving its approval to the recommendations of the CoS. They were fair in assuming that Armed Forces views would have been objectively presented and analysed as the Def Secy was on the panel of CoS.
Questionable Manner of Dissemination of Govt Notification of the CPC. The Govt Notification was made available to the Services HQ late on Friday (after 5.30 PM the office closing time in South Block). Further, only that portion of the notification was made available which pertained to the Armed Forces. This prevented the concerned Armed Forces officials to study the Govt Notfn at least until offices opened on Monday; and even then, unable to do any comparative analysis vis-Ã -vis provisions made for other Govt Services, they would not be in position to analyse the implications on parity/disparity issues for quite some time thereafter.
Major Discrepancies Noticed by Armed Forces in Govt Notfn. While being exposed to continued “informal pressure from the bureaucracy” to commence the implementation process, the Armed Forces, with ‘patient haste’ conducted a detailed study and analysis to find “four major discrepancies” in the Govt notfn. While, one of the core anomalies was the legacy of the original CPC report, the Armed Forces were surprised that the other three had been introduced surreptitiously by the CoS itself (please remember, the CoS was constituted to resolve anomalies and NOT create them).
Chairman COSC and Services Chiefs Meet RM. The RM, when presented the facts pertaining to the 4 Core Anomalies, was convinced of their logic and legitimacy and promised the Service Chiefs to take up the issue with the PM. He directed the officials in the MoD to communicate the same to the PMO, with his recommendations for early resolution.
The Bureaucratic Subversion. In absence of the RM, the MoD did not send any communication to the PMO as directed by the Minister. Instead, it sent a note for consideration of the officials of the Fin Ministry. The note thus sent, diluted the Armed Forces’ case as was presented to the RM and with which the RM had already concurred. The officials of the Fin Ministry diluted the Armed Forces case even further and presented the same to the Fin Minister. The Note, thus rejecting most of the Armed Forces’ observations and proposals was to be dispatched to the PMO.
Service Chiefs Meet Finance Minister: Bureaucratic Subversion Partially Exposed. The Service Chiefs (at least the two of them) met the Fin Minister before the Note rejecting the Armed Forces’ case could be dispatched to the PMO. After detailed presentation of their case, the Fin Minister acknowledged that “officials in his Ministry had misled him and had also misrepresented facts”.
Bureaucratic Fiat Issued Separately to Three Services to Notify Govt Notfn on Pay Commission so as to Ensure Its Implementation wef 01 Oct 08. Three separate notes were issued separately directly to the three Services HQ (please remember, all communication on the subject between the MoD and the Services were with the Central Pay Commission Cell in the COSC and not directly with the Services HQ). Moreover, the notes were issued by the MoD in absence of the RM who still was away on foreign visit.
Service Chiefs Meet PM. The PM responded favorably to the Service Chiefs’ presentation of the core anomalies. He also stated that he had received favorable comments on the issues, from the Fin Minister but, the PMO could not proceed to take a view as it had not yet received any communication on the issue from the MoD. (Please remember again that the RM, before proceeding on visit abroad, had instructed his Ministry to send a formal communication to the PMO).
Service Chiefs Meet RM : Fears of Further Exposure of Bureaucratic Subversion. Service Chiefs apprised the RM of their meetings with the Fin Minister and the PM. They also apprised him of the fact that no communication had been sent by the MoD, as personally directed by him) to the PMO. The RM directed a letter drafted immediately, recommending all Armed Forces’ proposals. The same was dispatched, addressed to the PM and personally signed by the RM.
Services Chiefs Issue Communication to All Ranks. The nature of sudden and intense media campaign which had potential of subverting the morale and maybe discipline of personnel, issue communications to all ranks in respective services.
The following basic principles must be considered and informed view taken in the context of the issue being discussed:
Is Govt Authority synonymous with the Bureaucratic Authority? Is Subservience of the Military to the Civil Authority in a Democracy synonymous with Subservience of the Military to Bureaucratic Authority?
Each one in the Armed Forces have grown, since their initial induction, learning that in a Democracy, in the context of the Military’s Subservience to the Civil Authority, the Civil Authority signifies the “Elected Govt” and at the larger levels, the “Parliament” and the “Constitution of India”. On day-to-day functioning, the bureaucracy may represent the elected Govt but it surely does NOT replace elected Govt.
The bureaucracy misled the Cabinet into believing that their recommendations were based on fair consideration of the views and logic of the Armed Forces (if it was not so, the RM, FM and PM would not have been surprised and found merit in the issues raised by the Armed Forces subsequently).
The bureaucracy, knowing the schedule of foreign visits by the RM and PM, deliberately worked in a manner that would prevent exhaustive deliberations with the deadline of 01 Oct and thus pressurise (the pressure was brought through a section of the media, led by Indian Express and a print news agency) the Armed Forces to implement the Pay Commission in its current form and deferring the resolution of the core anomalies indefinitely. This is exactly what they achieved in the case of previous Pay Commission.
What is most disconcerting in the bureaucratic design that they resorted to “disobeying instructions of the RM”; and “Misleading the FM and Misrepresenting Facts Before Him”. The charge of “Defiance of Govt Authority” that is being labeled upon the Service Chiefs actually should be labeled upon the Bureaucracy.
As for the Service Chiefs withholding Notifying the Govt Order, it is a simple case of they being morally bound to apprise the Govt of their perception of anomalies and ill-effects of implementing its order, prior to blindly executing it. Once the Govt (represented by the RM and PM) found merit in reconsidering the aspects brought before it by the Armed Forces and assured the Service Chiefs of having a re-look, until it got back to the Services with fresh instructions, the Services cannot be blamed for ‘defiance’ or ‘disobedience’. Once the Govt did come back during the previous weekend with interim orders, the Services have accepted the same and are implementing.
As far as the communications issued by the three Services Chiefs to all ranks is concerned, one ought to read the complete documents and understand the context. There is nothing in them which can be distantly construed as ‘defiance of govt authority’. In fact, in all manuals on military leadership and of late, also included in teachings on HR by the corporates, one of the abiding principles is that of “keep men informed”. This is expressly meant for men not following prey to rumours, propaganda and misinformation as they can seriously subvert the morale, discipline and ultimately operational effectiveness of any organized group and especially, the Armed Forces.
Mr Shekhar Gupta’s contention of the Service Chiefs behaving as “Union Leaders” egged by cheering ex-Servicemen, is gross misrepresentation. The Armed Forces are denied right to form unions, firmly in the belief that the concerns of each individual are addressed by a strict chain of command. This chain leads to the Service Chiefs. The Service Chiefs are thus doing what they ought to do in a democratic setup and purely as per democratic norms which govern the interface between the Civil Govt leadership and its subordinate military leadership. Mr Shekhar Gupta has also attributed the Services Chiefs with “Open Defiance of Civil Authority”. Is he in know of or can he recollect any instance of any act or articulation by services Chiefs which any sensible person can construe as defiance of civil authority? He surely cannot. Further, the ex-Servicemen should, if at all, be complimented for expressing their concerns and grievances, not only in democratic fashion but in a “dignified democratic fashion”. He, through his column, could have actually asked other interest groups and individuals to emulate them.
The whole episode so far, has been a classic case of the bureaucracy “subverting the democratic functioning of the state”; “undermining ‘informed – thus wise’ decision making by the Elected Govt”; and “Subverting the Public Opinion by Using/Misusing the Media”.
The facts and their sequence as brought out may be verified by those willing and an objective opinion may only be made thereafter. The provisions of the RTI Act would surely help uncover the criminal collusion and lengths to which the officials in the concerned Ministries have gone to, to ensure misrepresentation of issues, misleading their own Ministers (and thus the Govt) with the ill-intent of depriving legitimate dues to the Armed Forces personnel and undermining their status.
The bureaucracy, especially those associated with the Defence Ministry, during the past six decades, have found themselves not only increasingly incompetent but even unwilling to develop related competencies, to fulfill their assigned roles. As this episode clearly shows, the bureaucracy have instead, attempted to usurp the role of the Ministers (& thus the Govt) by assigning most of the “decision making” to themselves in the growing belief that in all cases of Ministerial interventions, they can effectively misrepresent facts and mislead the busy Ministers and further, that their acts of commission and omission will never be open to scrutiny of the Armed Forces. In the instant case, the concerned bureaucrats had not bargained for the Service Chiefs walking up the political masters which led to exposing of their nefarious designs and professional gross misconduct.
It is anybody’s guess that the current media campaign is the handiwork of the same very bureaucrats in a last ditch effort to scuttle the “Informed Decision Making Process by the Appointed GoM” and to “Cover Bureaucratic Misdeeds & Follies” by raising the bogey of “Armed Forces’ Defiance of the Govt Authority”.
Thank you ....Flag Officer....and anonymous above. After having served so many years....where flexibility has been appreciated everywhere but only in one place...my prayer goes out to all ESM....unite under one banner please...then only can we become a force to be reckoned with...2.6 million multiplied by atleast 10 voters amongst family and friends. Need I say more. All previous Chiefs to begin with, please set aside your egos of erasing and re-raising...get together and lead the way...else pocket your ego's and have the old bones dabbling in politics today and learnt the tricks of the trade to usher in .....I leave it at that with a big smile in anticipation for a better tommorrow for my country men and women and children.Jai Hind. Badri Vishal ki Jai.
A Tribute to Defence Forces of INDIA [subjugated by the baboozes and Politicians]
Your alarm goes off; you hit the snooze and sleep for another 10 minutes
He stays up for days on end
You take a warm shower to help you wake up
He goes days or weeks without running water
You complain of a 'headache', and call in sick
He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps moving forward
You put on your anti war/don't support the troops shirt,and go meet up with your friends
He still fights for your right to wear that shirt
You talk trash about your 'buddies' that aren't with you
He knows he may not see some of his buddies again
You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls
He walks the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists
You complain about how hot it is
He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow
You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong
He doesn't get to eat today
Your wife/mother/ maid makes your bed and washes your clothes
He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are clean
You go to the mall and get your hair redone
He didn't have time to brush his teeth today
You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over
He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months
You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight
He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home
You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday
He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume
You roll your eyes as a baby cries
He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet
You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything...
He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting
You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him
He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded - and of the innocents who have no one to stand up for them
You see only what the media wants you to see
He sees the broken bodies lying around him
You stay at home and watch TV
He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home,sleep, and eat
You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable
He crawls under a tank for shade and a 5 minute nap, only to be awakened by gunfire
You sit there and judge him, saying the world is probably a worse place because of men like him
If only there were more men like him!
WHO is HE ?
Who else ............ other than THE INDIAN ARMY
SOLDIER
Perhaps people will change their attitude and behavior to support HIS worthy cause... HE is sacrificing his today for our tomorrow's INDIA !!!
Now the issue status and parity be kept to a side and focus on the larger issue of mischiefs played by these babooz.Def secy will have to clarify all the points raised by Headlines Today.Merely denying the existence of the letter will not suffice.
He doesn't have spunk to do what he has done on his own.He has to open up and name the politicians on whose orders he was manipulating the entire issue.
You do not need to be a detective to pinpoint the main villain in this entire CPC drama.
This was well orchestrated team work but they failed in correctly assessing the Forces response and media scrutiny.They tried their best to mislead media but a few sincere ones could read their design.
YOU STAND EXPOSED FOLKS,NOW OWN UP.
Maj Navdeep Sir,
Is there a way to make public the notings that were circulated by the MOD to the Fin Ministry along with the remarks of the senior bureaucrats who passed the same, under the RTI act? If so how? And if there is a way...can you lead the way please.
Regards.
Very true Mr Navdeep.
I am a civilian but I do understand what's been transpiring. Its shameful indeed.
Glaring, Glaring, Glaring
All I can say is that
This country with the present dispensation does not deserve the military it has.
The last month or so of turmoil and disgust at the state of affairs has been made fathomable by the unprecidented unity amongst the three services.
This is a defining moment in the history of the armed forces. We are answerable only to the honour of the Indian nation and our troops. No machiavelian bureaucrat or two faced politician.
That's the way to go. I'm sure that the armed forces will come out stronger and assertive after this episode.
Army Guns for Baboos: The Literal Lowdown ---from livefist.blogspot
Setting Up of Committee of Secretaries (CoS). CoS was set up to look into and resolve the anomalies in the 6th CPC report, as highlighted by various Central Govt cadres.
Armed Forces Representative Not Included In Any Capacity. Verbal assurances were offered by the officials of the Def Ministry that the issues raised by the Armed Forces were well understood by them and will be pursued most honestly and diligently by the Def Secy (a member in the CoS). Hence, they justified non-inclusion of any Armed Forces Rep in the CoS, even in advisory or observer capacity.
Opaqueness in Deliberations of CoS. In absence of any communication from the CoS, the Chairman COSC formally sought that the findings and recommendation of the CoS be shared with the Armed Forces for them to attach their concurrence or observations, if any, prior to the same being submitted to the Cabinet for “Informed Decision Making”. No formal or Informal Response was received to this formal request.
Cabinet Decision : Ill Informed. The Cabinet could not be faulted in giving its approval to the recommendations of the CoS. They were fair in assuming that Armed Forces views would have been objectively presented and analysed as the Def Secy was on the panel of CoS.
Questionable Manner of Dissemination of Govt Notification of the CPC. The Govt Notification was made available to the Services HQ late on Friday (after 5.30 PM the office closing time in South Block). Further, only that portion of the notification was made available which pertained to the Armed Forces. This prevented the concerned Armed Forces officials to study the Govt Notfn at least until offices opened on Monday; and even then, unable to do any comparative analysis vis-Ã -vis provisions made for other Govt Services, they would not be in position to analyse the implications on parity/disparity issues for quite some time thereafter.
Major Discrepancies Noticed by Armed Forces in Govt Notfn. While being exposed to continued “informal pressure from the bureaucracy” to commence the implementation process, the Armed Forces, with ‘patient haste’ conducted a detailed study and analysis to find “four major discrepancies” in the Govt notfn. While, one of the core anomalies was the legacy of the original CPC report, the Armed Forces were surprised that the other three had been introduced surreptitiously by the CoS itself (please remember, the CoS was constituted to resolve anomalies and NOT create them).
Chairman COSC and Services Chiefs Meet RM. The RM, when presented the facts pertaining to the 4 Core Anomalies, was convinced of their logic and legitimacy and promised the Service Chiefs to take up the issue with the PM. He directed the officials in the MoD to communicate the same to the PMO, with his recommendations for early resolution.
The Bureaucratic Subversion. In absence of the RM, the MoD did not send any communication to the PMO as directed by the Minister. Instead, it sent a note for consideration of the officials of the Fin Ministry. The note thus sent, diluted the Armed Forces’ case as was presented to the RM and with which the RM had already concurred. The officials of the Fin Ministry diluted the Armed Forces case even further and presented the same to the Fin Minister. The Note, thus rejecting most of the Armed Forces’ observations and proposals was to be dispatched to the PMO.
Service Chiefs Meet Finance Minister: Bureaucratic Subversion Partially Exposed. The Service Chiefs (at least the two of them) met the Fin Minister before the Note rejecting the Armed Forces’ case could be dispatched to the PMO. After detailed presentation of their case, the Fin Minister acknowledged that “officials in his Ministry had misled him and had also misrepresented facts”.
Bureaucratic Fiat Issued Separately to Three Services to Notify Govt Notfn on Pay Commission so as to Ensure Its Implementation wef 01 Oct 08. Three separate notes were issued separately directly to the three Services HQ (please remember, all communication on the subject between the MoD and the Services were with the Central Pay Commission Cell in the COSC and not directly with the Services HQ). Moreover, the notes were issued by the MoD in absence of the RM who still was away on foreign visit.
Service Chiefs Meet PM. The PM responded favorably to the Service Chiefs’ presentation of the core anomalies. He also stated that he had received favorable comments on the issues, from the Fin Minister but, the PMO could not proceed to take a view as it had not yet received any communication on the issue from the MoD. (Please remember again that the RM, before proceeding on visit abroad, had instructed his Ministry to send a formal communication to the PMO).
Service Chiefs Meet RM : Fears of Further Exposure of Bureaucratic Subversion. Service Chiefs apprised the RM of their meetings with the Fin Minister and the PM. They also apprised him of the fact that no communication had been sent by the MoD, as personally directed by him) to the PMO. The RM directed a letter drafted immediately, recommending all Armed Forces’ proposals. The same was dispatched, addressed to the PM and personally signed by the RM.
Services Chiefs Issue Communication to All Ranks. The nature of sudden and intense media campaign which had potential of subverting the morale and maybe discipline of personnel, issue communications to all ranks in respective services.
The following basic principles must be considered and informed view taken in the context of the issue being discussed:
Is Govt Authority synonymous with the Bureaucratic Authority? Is Subservience of the Military to the Civil Authority in a Democracy synonymous with Subservience of the Military to Bureaucratic Authority?
Each one in the Armed Forces have grown, since their initial induction, learning that in a Democracy, in the context of the Military’s Subservience to the Civil Authority, the Civil Authority signifies the “Elected Govt” and at the larger levels, the “Parliament” and the “Constitution of India”. On day-to-day functioning, the bureaucracy may represent the elected Govt but it surely does NOT replace elected Govt.
The bureaucracy misled the Cabinet into believing that their recommendations were based on fair consideration of the views and logic of the Armed Forces (if it was not so, the RM, FM and PM would not have been surprised and found merit in the issues raised by the Armed Forces subsequently).
The bureaucracy, knowing the schedule of foreign visits by the RM and PM, deliberately worked in a manner that would prevent exhaustive deliberations with the deadline of 01 Oct and thus pressurise (the pressure was brought through a section of the media, led by Indian Express and a print news agency) the Armed Forces to implement the Pay Commission in its current form and deferring the resolution of the core anomalies indefinitely. This is exactly what they achieved in the case of previous Pay Commission.
What is most disconcerting in the bureaucratic design that they resorted to “disobeying instructions of the RM”; and “Misleading the FM and Misrepresenting Facts Before Him”. The charge of “Defiance of Govt Authority” that is being labeled upon the Service Chiefs actually should be labeled upon the Bureaucracy.
As for the Service Chiefs withholding Notifying the Govt Order, it is a simple case of they being morally bound to apprise the Govt of their perception of anomalies and ill-effects of implementing its order, prior to blindly executing it. Once the Govt (represented by the RM and PM) found merit in reconsidering the aspects brought before it by the Armed Forces and assured the Service Chiefs of having a re-look, until it got back to the Services with fresh instructions, the Services cannot be blamed for ‘defiance’ or ‘disobedience’. Once the Govt did come back during the previous weekend with interim orders, the Services have accepted the same and are implementing.
As far as the communications issued by the three Services Chiefs to all ranks is concerned, one ought to read the complete documents and understand the context. There is nothing in them which can be distantly construed as ‘defiance of govt authority’. In fact, in all manuals on military leadership and of late, also included in teachings on HR by the corporates, one of the abiding principles is that of “keep men informed”. This is expressly meant for men not following prey to rumours, propaganda and misinformation as they can seriously subvert the morale, discipline and ultimately operational effectiveness of any organized group and especially, the Armed Forces.
Mr Shekhar Gupta’s contention of the Service Chiefs behaving as “Union Leaders” egged by cheering ex-Servicemen, is gross misrepresentation. The Armed Forces are denied right to form unions, firmly in the belief that the concerns of each individual are addressed by a strict chain of command. This chain leads to the Service Chiefs. The Service Chiefs are thus doing what they ought to do in a democratic setup and purely as per democratic norms which govern the interface between the Civil Govt leadership and its subordinate military leadership. Mr Shekhar Gupta has also attributed the Services Chiefs with “Open Defiance of Civil Authority”. Is he in know of or can he recollect any instance of any act or articulation by services Chiefs which any sensible person can construe as defiance of civil authority? He surely cannot. Further, the ex-Servicemen should, if at all, be complimented for expressing their concerns and grievances, not only in democratic fashion but in a “dignified democratic fashion”. He, through his column, could have actually asked other interest groups and individuals to emulate them.
The whole episode so far, has been a classic case of the bureaucracy “subverting the democratic functioning of the state”; “undermining ‘informed – thus wise’ decision making by the Elected Govt”; and “Subverting the Public Opinion by Using/Misusing the Media”.
The facts and their sequence as brought out may be verified by those willing and an objective opinion may only be made thereafter. The provisions of the RTI Act would surely help uncover the criminal collusion and lengths to which the officials in the concerned Ministries have gone to, to ensure misrepresentation of issues, misleading their own Ministers (and thus the Govt) with the ill-intent of depriving legitimate dues to the Armed Forces personnel and undermining their status.
The bureaucracy, especially those associated with the Defence Ministry, during the past six decades, have found themselves not only increasingly incompetent but even unwilling to develop related competencies, to fulfill their assigned roles. As this episode clearly shows, the bureaucracy have instead, attempted to usurp the role of the Ministers (& thus the Govt) by assigning most of the “decision making” to themselves in the growing belief that in all cases of Ministerial interventions, they can effectively misrepresent facts and mislead the busy Ministers and further, that their acts of commission and omission will never be open to scrutiny of the Armed Forces. In the instant case, the concerned bureaucrats had not bargained for the Service Chiefs walking up the political masters which led to exposing of their nefarious designs and professional gross misconduct.
It is anybody’s guess that the current media campaign is the handiwork of the same very bureaucrats in a last ditch effort to scuttle the “Informed Decision Making Process by the Appointed GoM” and to “Cover Bureaucratic Misdeeds & Follies” by raising the bogey of “Armed Forces’ Defiance of the Govt Authority”.
Its not money status. Its all about meeting the interest of a soldier who stands up for his country. He along with his family braves the hardships to do their job. The government pays the employees for the job. what about the hardships the forces undergo beyond the job.what about the problems of soldier whose land is occupied forcibly by local goons , whose family is threatened. He cannot be relieved from his duty for leave since the elections are to take place in Kashmir and no leave can be granted. Let the CO write any letters to DC but no response. If you cant pay hime well and look after his interest why should he give his life. Today the rural youth is preffering police as a better career than forces. Dont demean the forces.
This country deserves good and honest governance. Its time that the defence hierarchy from top to bottom get up and fight for their rights as a true citizens. Its time that armed forces show the light to the rest of the educated society the designs of corrupt political+bureaucratic+criminal nexus . The educated people dont want to join merky politics.Its time that the power which are bestowed upon the forces be taken up for the right cause. Lets not clear up the muck created by dirty politics but lets start erasing the cause.
If the honest citizens in the civil street supported by media and protected by the forces teem up, we can get the nation achieving progress and at least we wont have malnourished children , caste based fighting and fodder scam ministers.
It may sound like impossible to achieve but this nation will have a revolution like the French and English of the renaissance era. Its time that we start implementing laws in our constitution and let no one make mockery of the system.
Spare no RK Anands, DP Yadavs and Shahabuddins. Spare no non performing BABU who doesnt perform well.
let the security of the job be gone like MNC. The government servants would work and work well.
At present there is a deep growl and simmering discontent.
Let us hope it does not become a roar and go beyond.
The cosequences are appalling to say the least.
This is what the last Army Chief wanted to bring to the notice respected politicians that if the trust between the pbor & the officer is lost this time it would take 250 ( two hundred & fifty Years ) to mend the damage that is in case ,if evev it will be possible , maybe never , God save this country .Ram bharose to he chal rahi hai
you do'nt deserve to get if you do'nt know what you deserve. At least 70 percent army officers may not be knowing what they deserve.
If you live like a KOOP MANDOOP live in the well only do'nt ask for moon. firstly start a campaign so that all army officer become aware of the things that how badly they are being treated by netas and baboos then only a revolution can start.
@D Lt Col
The Gen khanduri must have got votes on the same pretext which you have explained but till now he has not spoken even a single sentence in favour of army on pay commission
Well, seems like someone in the COSC has b@lls of steel. Look out for manipulations ahead in order to make weak numnuts chiefs of all services in the near future. This will have to be guarded against of course. But seriously, the servicemen who can give their lives at the border should really not be afraid of giving up their careers for the good of the service. And I mean the SENIOR servicemen. The generals, the air marshals, the admirals.
Politicians Please Speak Up
It is well known by now that Four CMs of the States had intervened on behalf of the Police to spoke to the PM to get them a better deal. That is how grants of special Status over Lt Gen was achieved by them in spite of it having been rejected in The CPC recommendations.
It is Pathetic the CMs of Himachal, Uttaranchal, Punjab< Hariyana, Maharastra, who thrive on so many Ex Servicemen Votes and votes of the families of the Serving Soldiers do not feel like publicly airing their opinion on the issue of Armed Forces.
The Bureaucracy is busy creating differences on the issue of Officers and Jawans (the announcement the very first day that they are ready to reconsider PBOR pension issue was aimed at denigrating officers and playing the Generals of PBOR). Then they will divide Lt Cols and Generals.(second announcement that Lt Col issue may be Considered) Then they will divide Army and Police (by locking the issue of Lt Gens Equivalence).
And Finally they will divide the Country.
I do not know how many BSF and CRPF battalions are being readied Not for flood relief in Bihar but to "Show the Generals their Places" and "Cut them to Size", The favorite buzz words of IAS Community, which has trickled down to the Peons of MoD.
What moral grounds now exist for the continued existence of an entity called MoD where in the basic aim of the organization is to act and play enemy of the Armed Forces?
What is their charter of duties? Pathetic. Open the Mod web page which is as pathetic as they themselves and read what it says "It is required to ensure effective implementation of the Government's policy directions and the execution of approved programmers within the allocated resources"
Where does it say the Mod is required to disobey the Political directions, misrepresent or twist the facts and execute the non approved programs in Unisons of IAS Union to maintain its supremacy at all cost including that of the Country"....?
Under Allocation of Business Rules, it is no where mentioned that Def Secy will sabotage every thing against the Armed Forces in order to weaken and bring down their sense of "A Matter of Honour" and promote a sense of " only Slavery and Servitude".
If this trend continues it will be very soon that these psychopaths Supreme Babus will also "show the Politicians and elected Representative their Place" and their peons will only do acts to "Cut the Ministers to Size"...
I think they have been doing that too....
It is a shame to allow this institution to continue unbriddled...
Lo Behold ! IAS Grant Themselves More than Military Service Pay (MSP)
The 6th CPC recommended grant of Rs 6000 to the Armed Forces Officers...
How could IAS tolerte it?? How Could they accept that Armed Forces Officers be given Military Service Pay and IAS are left behind. IAS is the real Generals!!
So they quitely introduced "two increment Concept" for approval of the Cabinet in the name of maintaining senirioty over other services and made it into "Four Intrements" in the Notification and IAS Rules showing their two fingers to the Cabinet.
That four Increments takes them much beyond or in fact double the military services Pay (MSP) and therefore in Comparision the advantges of the Armed Forces Officers in terms if MSP stands fully neutralised. That nullification game makes them senior to others by four years and nullifyies all advantages of MSP. That is the double edged game played by the IAS.
That brings forth a fundamntal question in front of the country, the citizens and specially for dicussion in media, if the proceedures of "Committe of Secretaries" as a decision making body should ever be resorted to and relied upon. Is not it malafide and legally bad / against Natural Justices that a body of IAS gives recommensation on itself and others with the exclusion of others. What kind of Justice is this.
Hello! Can any one in this vast Country explain!! Justify this..!!
Mr Gupta had charged the three Services Chiefs of Considering the presnt setup of the Govt as "weak".
Look who considred, acted and have proved their intentions of
consideration of the "Present Govt of Manmohan Singh" as so weak as to do all this. Does the Govt and IAS jouralist Sekhar Gupta need further proofs. Act does not required proof Mr Gupta. It proves and establishes all intentions. I think that much of basic jurisprudence you would know.
Jai Hind.(.No Cut it..) .say Jai Babuji Ki....
Lo Behold ! IAS Grant Themselves More than Military Service Pay (MSP)
The 6th CPC recommended grant of Rs 6000 to the Armed Forces Officers...
How could IAS tolerte it?? How Could they accept that Armed Forces Officers be given Military Service Pay and IAS are left behind. IAS is the real Generals!!
So they quitely introduced "two increment Concept" for approval of the Cabinet in the name of maintaining senirioty over other services and made it into "Four Intrements" in the Notification and IAS Rules showing their two fingers to the Cabinet.
That four Increments takes them much beyond or in fact double the military services Pay (MSP) and therefore in Comparision the advantges of the Armed Forces Officers in terms if MSP stands fully neutralised. That nullification game makes them senior to others by four years and nullifyies all advantages of MSP. That is the double edged game played by the IAS.
That brings forth a fundamntal question in front of the country, the citizens and specially for dicussion in media, if the proceedures of "Committe of Secretaries" as a decision making body should ever be resorted to and relied upon. Is not it malafide and legally bad / against Natural Justices that a body of IAS gives recommensation on itself and others with the exclusion of others. What kind of Justice is this.
Hello! Can any one in this vast Country explain!! Justify this..!!
Mr Gupta had charged the three Services Chiefs of Considering the presnt setup of the Govt as "weak".
Look who considred, acted and have proved their intentions of
consideration of the "Present Govt of Manmohan Singh" as so weak as to do all this. Does the Govt and IAS jouralist Sekhar Gupta need further proofs. Act does not required proof Mr Gupta. It proves and establishes all intentions. I think that much of basic jurisprudence you would know.
Jai Hind.(.No Cut it..) .say Jai Babuji Ki....
An hour ago I posted comments for publishing. These have not been published till now.Have these been blocked?
source: reportmysignal.blogspot
Dear Mr Shekhar Gupta,
I went through your article titled “Chain of Command demand” You have composed the article beautifully without any meat in it. I have the following questions to ask you.
(a) Does discipline imply accepting every decision of the cabinet howsoever erroneous or unreasonable it may be? If that is true, Sam Manekshaw should have gone to war with Pakistan in 1971 at a time chosen by the cabinet.
(b) When the Services raised the issue regarding the anomalies in the pay structure with the Government, if the Cabinet had a good reason to downgrade the services, as has been done, was it not necessary for the Government to inform the services and the servicemen the rationale behind the down gradation? Are soldiers not entitled to know why their status and pay scales have been down graded? I am sure we are not in a dictatorship and democracy demands a response in such issues. Incidentally, have you ever tried corresponding with the Government, its departments and organizations trying to get clarifications or decisions on any subject? They have developed a culture of remaining silent on issues of importance and as a result, never respond to queries thus leaving every one guessing. Are we to accept this state of affairs being in a Democracy?
(c) Are you aware that the issue regarding the Lt Col’s pay band has been created by the Committee of Secretaries and not the Pay commission itself? Are you aware of the logic why the Lt Cols alone have been left behind while upgrading the rest of the civil services to the next pay band?
(d) The pay commission recommended that the pension of PBOR be reduced from 70 % to 50 % consequent to their recommendation on lateral induction of ex servicemen. The cabinet took the decision to reduce the pension of service personnel from 70 % to 50 % without doing any thing about their lateral induction. Is this rank stupidity or does this indicate bias and vindictiveness? You can decide for yourself. Do you believe that the services should have accepted this cabinet decision and issued the order?
(e) Do you believe that this Government would have acted to rectify the anomalies had the services notified the cabinet order? Can you guarantee that?
(f) Had the Government kept quiet after the Cabinet Order has been notified, what in your view should have been the next step?
(g) Don’t you think that such a step would have been a bigger defiance of the Government and its authority?
(h) Are you aware, that similar anomalies, accepted by the services in good faith consequent to the earlier pay commissions are yet to be resolved by the Government? Does this not amount to betrayal? Don’t you thing that this is unbecoming of a Government? I believe even a banana republic would have shun to remain silent in similar circumstances especially in the case of Armed Forces.
(i) Are you aware that the court’s orders in Major Danapalan’s case has not been made applicable to the rest of the defence services personnel till today? Does the Government want every officer to go to the court and make a mockery of democracy and its ways? RTI applications have all remained unanswered. What do you suggest that the service headquarters and the ex– servicemen do in this case to get their dues without being branded indisciplined?
(j) In a democratic set up, personnel of the defence forces are barred from forming a union, engaging in “dharnas” or striking work. Under these circumstances, the onus of responsibility to safeguard the interests of the rank and file devolves around the Service Chiefs. Service Chiefs are accountable to the rank and file and the men have to be kept informed of such matters in time. Politicians and bureaucrats are used to keeping everyone guessing even in matters such as senior appointments or issuing government orders on subjects after the events have happened or issuing orders which cannot be implemented within the timeframe stipulated. Such things cannot happen in a military unit or a formation. These lots have no accountability towards any thing in this country, but Service chiefs do have a very major accountability obligation in such matters. It is impossible for a bureaucrat or a politician to understand these finer aspects of command function. The best they can do under the circumstances is, not to interfere with the command functions of the Service Chiefs.
(k) The services personnel retire much earlier than their civilian counterparts. Due to delayed promotions, their salaries are not comparable to personnel of equivalent years of service in civil at the time of their retirement. Pension, as we are all aware, is based on the last salary drawn. That being the case, how can both these groups be governed by the same set of pension rules or how can their pensions be equated? For example, take the case of a Service officer and an IAS officer who enter the service on the same date. The service officer retires at the age of 54 in the rank of Lt Col and his equivalent retires at the age of 60 at the minimum rank of Joint Secretary. In this case, the service officer receives his pension based on the salary of a Lt Col’s rank, at his 54th year’s service, while the IAS entrant receives his pension based on his grade, a Joint Secretary at his 60th year of service. Can you not see how his last pay drawn would have improved by the increments, promotions, increase due to revision by subsequent pay commissions, increased DAs in the 6 years? Do you know that the family Pension of both the individuals are also decided based on the last Pay drawn at the time of retirement? Due you not see that a service officer has lost out on rank, salary, increments, increase in wages due to subsequent pay commissions, increased DAs, service privileges for 6 years due to loss of 6 years of service in the name of keeping the Armed Forces young? After all these losses, do you want us to suffer loss of Pensions and Family pensions too? What fault have our families or we done to deserve this treatment in the hands of the bureaucrats? The case of the PBOR is still worse. How can the service in Armed Forces and civil service be compared? Do you think that representing these issues for which no response ever comes is an act of indiscipline?
Let me narrate a scene from the 1971 war to enable the countrymen to understand what discipline is. It was a bitter cold night on 15 / 16 Dec 1971. Our unit had been ordered to assault across the Basantar River in the Shakargarh Sector and establish a bridgehead across the river. The river and far bank of the river had been mined with a combination of anti personnel and anti tank mines. This included the jumping mines. Our patrols, which had operated in the area for over 2 nights, had confirmed this. The earlier day, our OP officer was killed while registering targets for the assault by enemy artillery when one of his defensive fire tasks was put on action. Despite all this information, the forward companies assaulted across the river. As the men crossed the obstacle, number of men and officers were killed and injured in the minefield and their dead and wounded bodies were lying in the minefield cum river obstacle. Luckily the first wave of assault was a success. The enemy infantry and a Armour within the defences had been neutralized. The second wave of the assault was to go once the success signal for the first phase was received. The success signal was received and the commanding officer gave out the password for the commencement of the second phase. The second phase of the attack commenced. No one thought of or questioned the order despite seeing the dead bodies and wounded men growling out of pain from within the obstacle system. That Mr Shekher Gupta is discipline. Do you think any other service in the country would have sacrificed, shown a sense of discipline or moral courage in the same way in similar circumstances? We never thought of our wives or the children who in any case would not have even recognized us due to separation. We had a total casualty of 201 all ranks dead and wounded in the operation.
Representing the genuine case of the soldiers who sacrifice everything in the name of the country, Regiment and the unit is no indiscipline. Swindling money from the developmental projects, housing and land allotment scams, flood relief funds, other relief funds, midday meal schemes, benefiting from business deals, twisting rules to award contracts for extraneous considerations etc are acts of gross indiscipline. I am sure you understand the difference.
The present condition of the Services owes as much to the machinations of the bureaucrats as to the the then senior officers of the armed forces who meekly consented or worse,actively colluded with the bureaucrats for petty selfish interests. They were aided by the culture of secrecy prevalent in bureaucracy and even more in the Services.
The rise of internet, 24x7 news channels competing fiercely for sound bytes and most of all the provisions of RTI Act were however under estimated by the bureaucrats and the results are there for all to see. Further, the 6th CPC did make a signal contribution by putting its report on the website.
The servicemen would do well to keep a hawk's eye on the goings on to ensure that they are not done in yet again and to specifically watch out for Vibhikshanas, who I suppose are more in number than one would like to believe.
Finally, a question for Bee Cee. What was he doing during his career if all that he is now attributing to bureaucrats was known to him? Furthering his career!
@Anony 9.52
"Finally, a question for Bee Cee. What was he doing during his career if all that he is now attributing to bureaucrats was known to him? Furthering his career!"
That was an unfortunate comment to say the least. Please be respectful atleast.
I have a dream....
to live for next five hundred years to
read history of great nation that flourished in 20 the century between Vindhyas and Himalayas.. but Alas!
the nation perished by 22nd century... because of caste or virus in the governence of that nation called bureaucracy(read IAS). ARISE AND AWAKE.. BEFORE THE BUREAUCRACY LEADS THIS NATION TO PERIL.
I was speaking to a friend from the Civil Services and he embarrasingly confided that the lessons to 'keep the military under the thumb' form a part of the training of IAS probationers at the LBS Academy Mussorie!So there it starts.
i fully agree.But one question to the so called high officers of Air force.Why are you fighting for parity when it never existed in your organisation.You had a pilot class and a ground duty class.So why speak of parity? Even under AVSC2 why do you have different promotion parameters? why do you have 16 yrs for pilot(just a glorified driver) and 18 yrs for all other branches.Then where is the parity?Pilots (even the dumbest and most indisciplined ) are given promotion while good ground duty officers dont make it since vacancies simply dont exist.Shame indeed.Then you dont deserve parity.
It is high time the veterans or some citizen to file a public interest litigation against the def secretary and associates for issuing departmental orders nullifying and modifying pay commission and other cabinet directions. Somebody also should file a defamation suit against Mr Gupta for misrepresenting the duty of the chiefs to represent the forces to the govt as provided for in the regulations.
Heard of one 'Pragmatic...'
I did say in an earlier post that we can beat him at his game on his own turf.
We have succeeded in trouncing him in his blog post 'Shekhar Gupta is right...'.
Come and celebrate.
http://pragmatic.nationalinterest.in/2008/10/05/shekhar-gupta-is-right/#comment-9910
INDIAN CIVIL SERVICES ARE SNOOZING
These are NOT my perverse comments but that of an international think tank on the Civil Services in India
http://www.adamsmith.org/blog-archive/001009.php
The Adam Smith Institute is the UK's leading innovator of free-market policies. Named after the great Scottish economist and author of The Wealth of Nations, its guiding principles are free markets and a free society. It researches practical ways to inject choice and competition into public services, extend personal freedom, reduce taxes, prune back regulation, and cut government waste.
The Institute is politically independent and non-profit. It works through research on policy options, publications, conferences and seminars, and helping to shape public debate in the media and among opinion-formers.
The FT’s New Delhi bureau chief, Edward Luce, paints a depressing picture of India’s failure to reform its "chronically unaccountable bureaucracy." [FT by subscription] Much was expected of Manmohan Singh’s new government, which made public administration reform a priority. Luce tells us why.
There was no point, it was argued, in increasing spending on priorities such as health and education – services for which Indian voters were crying out – until it could be ensured the money would reach the beneficiaries (as opposed to being pocketed by the bureaucracy).
In fact taxpayers' money is now coming thick and fast, on defence and social projects, as well as a promise to double the health and education budgets. But Luce tells us that "when it comes to the indispensable reforms - making civil servants sackable and setting up an effective anti-corruption system – there is little sign of action."
The reason may be that India’s economy is still growing at 6.5% this year, independently of government, so there is some cause for satisfaction and a temptation to postpone difficult decisions. The real reason might be that too many of the key players are already aboard the gravy train and don’t want it stopped. Public Choice Theory leads us to expect no less, but the story Luce tells is bleak.
A third of state school teachers are absent on any given day, according to a recent survey. The same applies to the country’s primary health clinics, which are more often empty than staffed. Parents and patients alike are powerless.
It is partly because India is a democracy that civil service reform is so difficult to achieve - many of the coalition partners wish to protect their stake in the status quo. Democracy is not a problem for China, India’s chief rival in the Asian growth stakes, but they, too, have a bureaucracy seeking to maintain its advantages and retarding progress. One route to reform elsewhere has been to transfer whole functions of government to the private sector, exposing them to choice and competition. It could work in India or China if either had the resolution to do it.
SO DON'T YOU THINK OUR ESTEEMED POLITICIANS SHOULD CALL INTO QUESTION THE EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF THE CIVIL SERVICES ESPECIALLY THE WAY THEY REMAIN UNACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS - PROPAGATE FALSEHOOD ESPECIALLY AGAINST THE ARMED FORCES WHILE USURPING THE LION'S SHARE
People, I have read with great interest the discussion on Mr Shekhar Gupta's article. First of all, please let me say that a person who has never been under fire with his men can NEVER understand why we bleed when they do. Because that bloody fool will put himself infront of you to stop the bullet meant for you. So, Mr Shekhar Gupta, first go out into the field and don't comment from your ivory tower.
As far as the three Service Chiefs are concerned, hats off to them for their graduated and matured response and the way they handled the dissemination of information to the rank and file. Most of you would remember the shameful shooting down of a senior officer by his own troops following Operation Bluestar. That was wholly attributable to the Govt policy of suppressing the flow of information to the troops. Guys, there is this poor joker who hasn't seen his family for ages, is getting the shit screwed out of him day and night AND on top of that you don't give him any information about what the hell is going on in his world back home. And you wonder why he does what he does ?
I have had this sad experience wherein one of my men was being harassed by his uncle over some land. I wrote an official letter to the SSP SP and DSP since they were arresting the guy on frivolous grounds whenever he landed up home. Doodlie-squat happened. Then I found out that a classmate of mine was the DC of the place. One call to him and they jacked the crap out of that uncle and this guy was treated like royalty.
I really feel that the bureaucracy has become a law unto themselves and, the nation, for its own good needs to cut them down to size otherwise they will become a second polity with the likes of Shabuddin, Shibu Soren, Pappu Yadav (Gad!) and other of their ilk.
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