“We should not question the Indian Army and anyone who doubts the Integrity of the Army is an Anti-National“. This seems to be narrative, that the current Government is trying to peddle, to the masses, these days.
We have a Defense Minister who speaks about “Teaching a Lesson to those who ask questions”. The same Defense Minister also says the Army was a lost, confused soul and did not know their own powers before he appeared before them as a Rama and made a Hanuman out of them, to set the Lanka on fire.
The same Defence Minister also talks about being careful of the “Desh Mein Chupe Hue Gaddar” which has sent everyone scuttering around their neighborhood, labeling the people around them as “Patriots” or “Anti-National”.
We have a Prime Minister who claims to sit up all through the night without a drop of water during surgical strikes and gives speeches about his utmost respect and high regards for the Army asking people to absolve the Army beyond any doubt and reason, with such eloquence, that you might forget that this was the same man who said that “Traders take more risks than the Soldiers who fight at the border”.
I haven’t seen a more sickening level of discourse in India, before this, where a mere questioning of the Government or the Armed Forces can start a labeling on such a mass level.
No one seems to pause and think that the Army is also made of people like us and is equally susceptible, to falling prey, to any or all of the 7 deadly sins of Pride, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony, Lust, Sloth, and Greed, just like any other Human Being.
The people seem to have forgotten that the Army is also just another branch of the tree, that is our nation, like the Police, Firefighters, Rescue Squads, Engineers, Doctors all of whom have put their lives or livelihoods at stake, at some point or other, though the degrees of risk may vary.
Also Read: India’s Surgical Strike in PoK: 56 Inches Chest Restored
Like every other branch of this Nation, the Army is also not above the Constitution of a Nation which is “By the People, FOR the people, OF the people” and thus not immune to being questioned or doubted.
And it is not as if the Indian Army has been completely bereft of scams and malpractices where Senior Army officers have not been involved along with Politicians.
Kargil coffin scam. …
Frozen Meat Scam. …
Ration Supplies Scam. …
Adarsh Housing Society Scam. …
Bofors scandal. …
Sukna Land Scandal. …
The Rs 14-Crore Bribe
Some of these scams have toppled entire Governments and some of these scams have been alleged by the very people who are right now sitting pretty in coveted positions in the current Government.
And now the same people are running a campaign to shut up every question and to discredit every word which is raised to question the possibility of a malpractice.
We all need to pause and think where we are going with the narrative, that the current Administration, is trying to sell to us.
Are we going to turn Nationalism into a form of Religion, where everything is right just because the Religious Leaders say so and if you believe in God you cannot question its existence??
If that is the case then, I must say that we are surely straying off the path of achieving a “Secular Democratic Nation” as was envisioned by our forefathers who gave their lives for the sake of our freedom. Rather we are becoming a bunch of morons, whose only act should be to trust and follow rather than to question and seek.
Also Read: Surgical Strikes: An Open Letter to Arvind Kejriwal & Co. By a Professor
“Desh Badal Raha Hain” seems to be an apt jargon for our country, at the moment, but not all changes are always good and beautiful.
The post on the Indian Army was first published here
Disclaimer:
“PFC. Downey: What did we do wrong? We did nothing wrong!
Lance Corporal Dawson: Yeah we did. We were supposed to fight for people who couldn’t fight for themselves. We were supposed to fight for Willy.”
