Spat between Govt and General

AK Antony, Union Defence Minister, is now facing a controversy regarding his inaction in the bribery case that was brought to his notice by his Army Chief Gen VK Singh, over a year ago. In his statement to the Parliament, a few day ago, in response to the public and opposition uproar, Antony acknowledged that the Army Chief had, indeed, told him about the bribery offer, but he did not act because the General did not want to pursue the matter. Instead of pressing his subordinate-the Chief of the Army Staff, Gen Singh, to follow it up, he left it at that. How could the Defence Minister, known for "honesty" and "incorruptability", adopt an attitude of indifference and inaction in a serious matter of corruption at higher levels? How could he accept the Army Chief's reported reluctance to probe the case further and not himself initiate an enquiry?

However, when one looks deep into the Antony mindset, one is not surprised. This approach of laissez-faire, silence, indecision, general reluctance to promptly grapple with grave problems of governance and morality seems a trade-mark of this UPA govt. headed by Dr Manmohan Singh, a master, silent bureaucrat-turned politician and comprising senior members like Antony. No wonder, the country is hurtling from one cisis to another caused by a series of scams.

The unpleasantness between the Army Chief and the govt, particularly his boss, the Defence Minister, began with the controversy of the former's birth year. It has now worsened on the issues of the bribe offer that the General had conveyed to Antony and followed by his leaked letter to the PM about the inadequate preparedness of the armed forces due to insufficient weaponry, ammunition, etc. The ruling politicians and their supporters are raising hell about the grave leak, but do not display similar concern about the more disastrous state of our defence forces, thanks to the sensitivity and seriousness of the leadership.      

President Pratibha Patil's record wanderlust

A few days ago, one was shocked to read a Press Trust of India(PTI) report in the press about the Indian lady President, Mrs Pratibha Patil's fondness for foreign trips alongwith a huge group of her family and officials, at the cost of public exchequer. In response to a Right to Information(RTI) enquiry, it was revealed that Mrs Patil has set up a record of "jet-setting", making 12 trips to 22 countries in 4 continents, at the massive cost of Rs.205 crores! Her five-year tenure is about to end in July, 2012, but clearly her "wanderlust" at the expense of public funds, is yet not fully satisfied; it is reported that the lady President is getting ready to make her last official journey to South Africa before she demits her office within four months!

Right-thinking and concerned Indians were distressed when this undistinguished, provinicial politician was suddenly chosen by her party leadership to occupy the august office of the Head of the State-that too as the first woman President in the history of independent India. One hoped that, perhaps, the highest office might bring the best in the humble lady and she would leave behind a great legacy which the Indian people would remember fondly. But, alas, this was not to be. On the top of it, we have her penchant for expensive "wanderlust". The people at large cannot forget how the lady President has been a convenient tool of her party and government leadership to excessively delay the Supreme Court ordered execution of the Parliament attack convict(Afzal Guru) till this day. She has served as "your most obedient master" in her tenure!

It is a sad reflection on our democracy that there is hardly any accountability of the office-holder of the top-most office. At least, in the case of another constitutional office-holder-Mayawati, she had to pay a large price of losing her chief ministership for a colossal misuse of her office and public money. In contrast, Mrs Patil will go home quietly.