Whats in a date?

WHAT'S IN A DATE

The final Say in the Age Row of General V K Singh would be decided by the Supreme Court on 3rd February. Last week the Indian Army was dominating the media discussions not because of the republic day but due to the age row of the General V K Singh of the Indian army. Our neighboring Army was not far behind and was trending the media chatter albeit for a completely different reason. An interesting SMS doing the round summed up the whole scenario in a light hearted but truthful manner. It said that “In Pakistan, the Army chief decides the government's age. In India, the government decides the Army chief's age!''

This Light hearted Joke aptly sums up the civil military interplay on either side of the border. In Pakistan, the generals rule the roost, and have screwed up elected government throughout its independent history. But, the apolitical, secular and uncontroversial Indian generals have always remained much disciplined under the grip of the neta-babu combine. Some charismatic army chief like Sam Maneckshaw or K Sundarji managed to get some wiggle room and had their way once in a while.The armed forces have always felt slighted by the civilian bureaucracy, resenting as they do the "interference'' in their Service matters as well as operational tasks in the name of "civilian control''.Hence the Indian military chiefs hardly ever, "rocked the boat''. So, when Army chief general Vijay Kumar Singh took his prolonged age battle with the government to the Supreme Court, it was bound to unleash a tsunami across the sprawling South Block and beyond. Gen. Singh may claim it's a "personal'' battle to "protect'' his "honour and integrity'' but the repercussions for the politico-bureaucratic versus military equation are huge. This episode may change the equation forever.

There are a many documents , including a birth certificate and a school-leaving certificate, that prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that General Singh, whose father as well as grandfather were Army officers, was born on May 10, 1951. Due to clerical errors there is a mismatch in the date kept in the records of two branch of the army. General Singh has been at pains to explain for years getting this corrected. A highly decorated officer like General Singh, who is recognised as a brilliant strategist and tough on corruption, would never lie about his date of birth. Any misgivings portraying him as a power and privilege hungry officer must be rejected with contempt. Instead of fighting the case in the Apex court the Government should immediately come with a constructive solution and restore General Singh’s Honour