The recent decision of retired army chief, General JJ Singh to contest assembly elections in Punjab on an Akali Dal ticket, sparked off a debate within the military community (serving and retired) on whether ex-chiefs entering politics is a right step befitting their appointment and whether their involvement would benefit the military? He is not the first though. General Shankar Roychowdhury was the first in recent times; however he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha. In the present government, General VK Singh serves as a junior minister in the ministry of external affairs.

In a discussion on television, retired chiefs, Generals Roychowdhury and JJ Singh defended their decision to join politics, stating that their participation would benefit the military. The discussion failed to bring out the fact that joining politics at the state and national levels are two different issues. The only silver lining was that General J J Singh’s decision to join politics was taken well after he left the service; hence his ability to influence the military community had considerably reduced. Secondly, while the military has been represented earlier in the government as also is presently, has it been beneficial?

The well known names of retired officers in political circles are of Major Jaswant Singh and Major General BC Khanduri. Jaswant Singh had served as minister of defence and foreign affairs in the Vajpayee government while Khanduri was minister of surface transport in the same government and subsequently chief minister of Uttarakhand. He presently heads the parliamentary committee for defence. In his present appointment, he has regularly hauled up the defence ministry for its shoddiness in handling procurement of essentials, including bullet-proof jackets and boots, necessary for the functioning of the military.

However, neither of them above were chiefs of the service, hence possibly supportive. They created the impression that retired officers in parliament would benefit the military community, alas it was not to be. General VK Singh’s involvement and support to military matters, including the OROP agitation, has been minimal. To maintain his military links, after all it was the military which enabled him to rise to his present level, he should have either supported the OROP demand or kept quiet, however negative comments including criticising protestors and suggesting they accept the half-baked release by the government was what flowed. Further, his contribution and comments to the ongoing battles of the seventh pay commission, disability pensions and allowances has been little, to state the least.

Hence, while an ex-chief presently in the central government, is unwilling to support his erstwhile organization, expecting a similar appointment to contribute at the state level, provided he is even elected, is asking for the moon. Claims would be made, as were done when electioneering was in progress in 2014, but realities turn out to be the opposite once they join the government. It was always felt that for the military to have its voice heard, it needed representation at the political level. With passage of time, the realisation has set in that while we may have politicians as supporters, Rajeev Chandrasekhar being a prime example, we cannot bank on our own ex-chiefs.

The military has always prided itself on being apolitical. The chief is a role model for his service. Every soldier looks up to his chief as a single point authority who would do his best for their welfare by interacting with the government in power. In short, he is a demi-god. Politicians are generally considered unreliable, only interested in obtaining power and winning elections by any means. Hence, while military personnel interact with the bureaucracy as part of their responsibility, they stay away from politicians. For an ex-chief to turn to politics is hence a huge disappointment. A video clip of General JJ Singh, presently viral on social media, speaking in an uncultured manner, unexpected of a senior army officer, only adds to the disappointment of the military family. There is no opposition to any other rank officer or soldier participating in elections, other than a service chief. The chair of a service chief is considered too sacrosanct to be discarded for petty political gains. His appointment as a governor, on the other hand, is always welcomed and respected.

The rank and file expect a chief to follow Douglas MacArthur’s maxim, ‘old soldiers never die, they just fade away’.

Further compounding the issue is the decision of the breakaway faction of the Indian Ex-Servicemen League (IESM), which spearheaded the OROP agitation, now termed as the United Front of Ex-Servicemen, Jantar Mantar (UFESM), to support the Congress in the forthcoming elections. The OROP agitation was successful solely because it was apolitical. Every veteran living around Delhi, irrespective of rank, attended and participated in the protest because of its apolitical stance.

Initially, political leaders were even barred from entering or speaking at the protest site. The entry of the UFESM in the coming elections opens a new chapter in the participation of veterans’ groups in state level polls. Whether its actions benefit the Congress or like many before it fades away into the wilderness, time would tell. The debate may only get more acrimonious, if it fails.

On a chief entering politics, the mass opinion is that he has let down the prestige of the office he once held, as he joins ranks with those whom the military tends to avoid. If this becomes a norm, then in the future a chief could begin contemplating a political career while in service and thereby commence supporting the party he is likely to join, either directly or indirectly. This would imply politicisation of the military right from the top and signal the end of an apolitical service, which would be a sad day. Hence, we need to consider laying down a time limit, prior to a chief even considering joining politics.

The writer is a retired Major-General of the Indian Army.