Economic Highlights

New Delhi, 24 April, 2017

BSF Jawan Dismissal

DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER

By Shivaji Sarkar

Dismissal of a BSF constable for complaining about bad food on the social media normally should not be economic news. But it is hard economy. The constable was only trying to respond to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to speak up against corruption, which is ruining the Indian economy.

It was bad “dal” that his video clips allege. None has apparently denied it. This means the meal was indeed bad. This also means that the jawans are not treated with the care and concern that is promised. And implies that the nation is taking less care to make them battle ready. It translates into spending thousands of crore at the cost of deprivation of the targeted people.

The jawans deserve good and healthy food. It is their right. The food is part of their necessary perk in remote areas for defending the country or fighting anti-nationals. One bad food can cost the nation heavily. Tragically, while the jawan is sacked for speaking out, those who procure and serve the bad food apparently are not meted out any punishment.

The BSF says that Tej Bahadur Yadav had never approached the grievance redressal mechanism. Everybody knows not only in the Armed Forces but even in any government office, approaching a redressal mechanism attracts more retribution than solution. The dictum is “boss is always right” and “show me the face I shall show you the rule”. Unfortunately, for this constable, like thousands others who are suffering, his face was not on the rule book!

Is speaking out loud about a condition that normally nobody listens to a crime? The Prime Minister has been asking everyone – and this means all those in the forces too – to tell him about malfunctioning anywhere. Is doing so in supposedly a “disciplined” force be considered a crime?

The officers who have done it apparently have tried to ignore what Modi told the nation. They are keen on perpetuating their misrule than adhere to what the political master tells them. Should it not be considered a move to shield the guilty? Instead, they heaped insult and humiliation on the poor, powerless constable, who everybody apparently has got together to ease out. Instead, should not the BSF bosses be meted out the maximum punishment for virtually de-motivating the cadre everywhere?

It is a grave issue. In 1960s, a large number of people in the forces were detected with several and severe heart conditions. The jawans then had complained about poor hydrogenated oil (or vanaspati oil). For years nobody listened but as there were many casualties reported, quietly orders were issued to replace the vanaspati oil. The delayed decision cost not only families of the jawans but the nation too as trained men either had to be lost or retired early.

Unfortunately, the Armed Forces and government departments resort to gagging voices of dissent. This is a colonial tradition of “maintaining discipline” and does not check rebellion as the BSF wants to profess. Rather, it creates anger. It seethes and the nation has witnessed many outbreaks at different times that triggered sudden firing by jawans killing their compatriots or officers almost in all kinds of defence and para-military forces. When they can’t speak out, they express through the barrel of the gun. This is rebellion. But is in most cases the result of repression.

Today, the cops may not be speaking up but if the Prime Minister does not intervene to restore the honour, pride and job of Yadav, it can lead to an outburst some day. The jawans and government employees would have faith in the PM. Besides, these “smaller” people are the greatest soldiers for him in his fight against corruption. There were scams galore worth trillions in the UPA regime. These happened because the voices of the people at the lower rung were muzzled but were also exposed because many of the “non-entities” whispered about the wrong doings. Much of it came out from “anonymous” sources.

That Forces have many skeletons in their cupboard is well-known. The secrecy is used more for camouflaging these. For example, those on the eastern borders know how cattle are smuggled out to the neighbouring country. It is an organised mafia often aided by those in uniform. Then again, procurement of arms, aircraft and other logistics has been under question since long. Many of these came to light because people within the organisation discreetly spoke up.

The NPAs that were rising since 2009 were no secret. But nobody, not even the RBI, spoke of it in clear terms. Today the Jaypee group of Noida’s unpaid Rs 75,000 crore (earlier it was Rs 95,000) is being talked about. But has anybody questioned, why was this not termed NPA officially? The bank employees’ voices were suppressed.

The Air India has gone into Rs 30,000 loss because of callous decision of two CMDs Arvind Jadhav and Raghu Menon. There are reports that as chairman of another autonomous organisation one of them had coerced it to draw illegal favours of over Rs 2 lakh a month and swindled crores sanctioned for making a university. They even illegally sacked uncomfortable people. The organisations even today are mortified to speak against them. Nobody wants to lose a job, say officers and employees. And the corrupt get “rewards” of new posting even as information commissioners managed by their colleagues. Similarly the coal scam was virtually on the open block. But it took a regime change to act against it.

The culture of suppressing voices in government and semi-government organisations has cost the nation heavily. Nobody apparently is accountable for the taxpayers’ money. Many misdemeanours despite public knowledge go unreported officially. The UP provident fund scam, health scam; MP’s Vyapam, palmolein of Kerala or any other scam anywhere could happen because the officialdom has mastered the art of muzzling the voice.

The NDA regime of Prime Minister Modi has brought in many changes. It has to ensure that those who know should speak up. They can and that is what Tej Yadav proved. But if they would get such inhuman treatment, sacked from service for speaking the truth, face summary security force court (SSFC), the truth will always be swept under the carpet.

Modi has ushered in whizz of fresh air. Let the people be allowed to speak for nation building. People appreciate seeing him punishing the guilty, but he has to protect and encourage those who speak against the guilt. ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and  Feature Alliance)