For all his contrived efforts to present a squeaky-clean image of himself, former defence minister AK Antony has just betrayed he is not above “playing dirty”. His strong words condemning the mutilation of Indian soldiers by Pakistan ring cheap and hollow when he seeks to project a comparative head-count ~, of course, prefacing his comments with the hypocritical and meaningless “I don’t want to politicise…” What else but lowly politics was Antony resorting to when he said that during his eight-year tenure in the defence ministry there had been only one such case, but three since the Modi government assumed office? When persons who have held the coveted appointment in South Block sink to such levels it is the reputation and morale of the armed forces that take a beating. True that the BJP has been shameless when exploiting perceived military success (not really all that successful, as ground realities confirm) for political and electoral gain, but that does not justify Antony trying to pay back in the same counterfeit coin.

It could well be asked if after the initial sick case the Army had been given the “free hand” that Antony now demands, Pakistan would have dared a repeat performance. The conflict situation on the western frontier pre-dates Antony’s term as defence minister, and adds up to a collective failure of various governments to establish military dominance of the sub-continent: even after the decisive victory in 1971 New Delhi failed to ensure that the Pakistan army remained “hunkered down”. During the Manmohan Singh regime too did jihadi terrorists establish a certain sway in the Kashmir Valley, so to now get into comparisons only further dilutes the national security exercise. And Antony must accept a share of the responsibility for the chronic shortages that plague the Indian military: a national failure for which no political party can escape culpability.

It is little short of a tragedy that not since Babu Jagjivan Ram has the defence ministry been headed by a man with both administrative acumen and political clout. The forces have not been given a fair deal in terms of “protocol”, weapons and equipment.

Each Pay Commission has only added to the frustrations of the “uniforms” ~ as is evident from the sustained vacancies in the officer cadres. An element of “politics” has corroded the system of promotions and appointments ~ quite a few of the recent “Chiefs” have not enhanced the stature and professionalism of the armed services. And under Narendra Modi there have been two spells (one is continuing) when defence has been an “additional charge”. But to go back to where this commentary took off: Antony and Manohar Parrikar would have to battle it out for the title of “worst-ever defence minister…”