Indian politics is in disarray. The entire opposition lines up on one side disagreeing within themselves, while the government smiles on the other. Every recent battle undertaken by the opposition appears to end in defeat. The war of words, non-functioning of Parliament, degrading comments and failed protests have not moved the government on changing its stance on demonetisation, which is the political battle of the times. The public in rural areas continues to patiently support the government in the belief that the move would free them from the shackles of money lenders, while in cities the belief is that it would, in the long term, bring about an economic revival. It is this tacit support which has enabled the government to persist with its decision. But the political battle appears to become more degrading in language and content each day.

When all attempts to corner the government appeared to end in fiasco, the opposition resorted to targeting the only apolitical and quietly working arm of the government, the military. Seeking an obituary reference to the martyrs of Nagrota, the opposition stalled Parliament. Rahul Gandhi used terror strikes on military camps to target the government, claiming that the government has not been able to prevent attacks, without being aware of how borders are managed and operations conducted.

The latest of such incidents has been the West Bengal case, where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee projected an annual military exercise, conducted to cater for emergency mobilisation, as an attack on the state secretariat. It even found its echoes in Delhi.

The reader needs to consider some issues to understand the level of politicisation of the military in the Mamata versus the army case. Firstly, can a handful of unarmed soldiers located about half a km from the secretariat, carrying just paper, pens and stickers, threaten a state secretariat guarded by armed police and state commandos deployed with machine guns?

Secondly, the state chief secretary and other secretaries have regularly interacted with the army hierarchy in the state. They are all located in the same city and barely two km apart. Many of them have attended civil-military liaison conferences and know their counterparts. Further, the chief minister’s personal staff possesses mobile and phone numbers of the army’s local top brass.

Why couldn’t a simple telephone call be made to directly resolve the issue, rather than sit inside the complex claiming to protect democracy from threat while writing and talking to Delhi? This suggests that the intention was a drama aiming to rope the military into a failing political

battle.

To top it all was the bizarre claim of the army collecting toll. There are video cameras in each toll booth and the army is accompanied by police in the exercise, hence every toll demanding incident would have led to an FIR. None were lodged, only because the claim was fake.

In my official capacity in Bengal Area, I have conducted this annual ritual in West Bengal for two years, both during Mamata’s tenure. It was always done in a similar manner as now. However, during that time, there was no demonetisation issue to project, hence Mamata left her office on time without fear or worry, possibly even acknowledging the soldiers located along her route. This time, failed protests in Delhi and Lucknow and an unrelenting government at the Centre compelled her to resort to seeking a new device to target the Centre with.

In coming days, Indira Gandhi Sarani (Red Road) in Kolkata will be occupied by the army along with the police for a few hours, on alternate days, in preparation for the Republic Day parade. Military presence would be pronounced as it is responsible for the conduct of the event. I wonder what her reaction would be then. I only hope she does not claim that the army has occupied Kolkata. Further, in her capacity as CM, she also attends the event. Would she avoid attending for a coup or a kidnap fear. If only five soldiers could signal a coup threat, then vehicles and marching columns could signal martial law.

What hurt the military more were protests organised by local TMC supporters against them in front of Raj Bhavan without even being aware of reality. Kolkata’s public and the army have an excellent relationship. The protests would only tarnish this relationship. The army in Kolkata controls the most prestigious landmark of the city which every government has attempted to grab, but failed ~ the Kolkata Maidan, also the heart and lungs of the city. People from all parts of the city spend their holidays here, while children play every sport on this open tract. The entire city respects the military, since it has ensured the sanctity of this ground and prevented it from being grabbed for political benefits.

Since the surgical strikes, involving the military in political battles has become the norm. Even the suicide of a veteran on OROP was politicised by Arvind Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi. OROP remained on the radar till the announcement of demonetisation, post which, I wonder if politicians even remember what OROP stands for. As compared to all our neighbours, the Indian military has been the only one which has stayed away from politics and almost never responded to any form of criticism. The defence minister has been their spokesperson. While the government and the opposition may continue to battle among themselves, an earnest request from us veterans is please do not tarnish the image of the ultimate element of power of the nation and the only apolitical military in the entire subcontinent.

(The writer is a retired  Major General of the Indian Army)