The military of the country is commissioned with its task that contributes to the security and welfare of the people of the democratic country that is India. The soldiers stand guard of the country with open eyes and ears, in mountain range, desert borders and sea shores, during war and peace to ensure our secrutiy. Thousands from the forces lost their lives in the mission, leaving lakhs of children orphans.
Even in times when earthquakes gulped entire swathes of land and vast areas got engulfed in flood, they stood steadfast, mission-driven in land and sea and high in the air, with utmost confidence in their rescue tasks. And Kerala can never forget the smiling face of the men in uniform with that rare heroic specacle during the flood in 2018, on lifting a full-term pregnant woman from a marooned relief shelter into a helicopter and bringing her to a hospital for a safe childbirth there.
Such a common asset of the citizens of country, is unfortunately being projected as their private property by prime minister Modi and his followers in their electioneering speeches and postures. They display the effrontery to show off the hard efforts of the forces and its defence research organization and add it to their own medal tally. The notorious masters in rabble-rousing and hate speeches like Yogi Adityanath and Sakshi Mahajan cross all limites and assert that Indian military means Modi's force. Obviously agitated over such campaigning, about 150 retired military officers of the country, sent a letter of protest to the President against this onslaught on the honour of our sovereign democracy, but the letter however has not brought any response so faror even acknowledged. Such behaviour can be endorsed only by those who wish to take the military and the joint chief of armed forces back to a hierarcy under feudal hegemony.
The current regime is facing serious charges that it is creating a warlike situation and putting the forces in the line in order to divert attention from the grave issues facing the country and to save its face when in trouble against corruption allegations. It may be recalled that against this very same government, which indulges in calling out 'jai jawan' slogan at every possible opportunity, hundreds of military veterans had to beg for mercy and make sit-in strikes with the demand of 'one rank, one pension'.
But even those brave soldiers who had fought and marched against hostile forces were defeated by their own government in a breach of promise. The catchy metaphor of the soldier standing guard in freezing temperatures in the Himalayas was also invoked by the current government, in the process of justifying queues – of people forced to stand there for hours during the demonitization phase. But one among such soldiers was kicked out when he let others know about the poor quality of food served to them, by the very government who makes a proxy war using the military as its cover. And that dismised BSF jawan, Tej Bahadur Yadav is now preparing to contest as an independent candidate against Narendra Modi in Varanasi constituency.
The quest of those who preach abundant love for the military, is not to do justice to the soliders who lost their lives in Pathankot, Uri and Pulwama, but to highlight their sacrifice and convert it into votes. People who release election posters with the pictures of martyred soldiers, need to be told in clear terms that the military is nobody's mercenary or foot soliders. The duty of telling them this, now falls on the people of the country.
The first thing to do, to uphold the honour and prestige of the security forces of the country, is to repeal the widely misused Armed Forces Special Powers Act, and then to ensure the welfare and security of the men in uniform. Let our goal and dream be to bring about anera of peace, when no solider loses his life hit by enemy forces. That is what the nation and the military wish for - and deserve too.