Reply To The Retiring Adjutant General’s Despicable Public Discourse During TV Interview By Another Veteran General
Despicable Public Discourse by Adjutant General -Lt Gen Prakash Katoch (Retd).
On the morning of October 31, 2019, Lt Gen Ashwani Kumar, Army’s Adjutant General, donned his uniform, summoned a national TV channel to the lawns of his official residence and spoke on sensitive and emotional issues in despicable fashion; showing disloyalty to his colleagues and damaging the institution he belongs to in the process, which no other service does. The fact that he did this on his last day in service could be because of the ‘shoot and scoot’ qualities ingrained in him as an air defence gunner.
But the more likely explanation is that he was asked to do so by the ‘deep state’ which has been successful in lowering the image of the Army consistently, picking up speed over the last five-six years in concert with a pliable military hierarchy. Being a PSO to the COAS, was this public discourse by Ashwani Kumar (AK) in order is questionable, unless the COAS General Bipin Rawat had approved it.
AK’s narration focused on two issues; disability compensation and ‘code of conduct’ for veterans. Choosing to speak on disability compensation was reprehensible since the issue is under review by the three Service Chiefs and the Defence Minister too had stated he would look into it despite the matter being under purview of the finance ministry. It may be recalled that the Finance Minister had quoted an ‘undated’ communication from Army HQ recommending cessation of IT exemption for army’s disabled personnel.
In all probability AK authored that undated note and may have personally delivered it to the FM after showing it to the COAS.. So much for integrity and moral turpitude – can he explain how such an undated note from Army HQ reached the FM? The communication from the COAS to Maj Gen Ian Cardozo on disability pension and latter’s reply to the COAS have been covered in these columns earlier. The letter of the COAS to General Cardozo was obviously drafted by AK, as were the voluminous details of disability cases attached as appendix.
But before doing so, did AK in his three year tenure as Adjutant General give any thought whatsoever how to resolve what he termed ‘misuse’ of disability pension, as described in the article ‘The Faux Pas of Taxing Disabled Soldiers’ published in September 2019 edition of Fauji India? AK admits that the cases of “misuse are few”, so why have they not been penalized?
Before recommending scrapping of IT-exemption to disabled soldiers enmass like a sergeant ordering mass punishment in the academy, did he examine that the same provisions of IT exemption for disabled authorized since 1922 also cover the other services including civil services – NOT to the Army alone? AK’s discourse on ‘lifestyle diseases’ was disingenuous. For him, war disabled performing military duties is all very well, which he coined as ‘disability by compulsion of service’. But he denounced those disabled because of “service conditions” terming them ‘lifestyle diseases’. Could he have not left this for the three Service Chiefs to take a call on? Was he getting cocky because of his doctorate recently acquired from Guru Kashi University, Bhatinda with those in the know pointing out on social media that it came through the ‘Munnabhai’ route?
Second issue AK focused on was a ‘Code of Conduct’ to be signed when transiting from soldier to veteran, in which he attempted to even add a legal angle to it. Wonder if he got the inspiration for a brainwave by Rahul Gandhi three years back for all party cadres to sign an affidavit of loyalty. But AK is completely off the mark in this. One can only feel sorry for his poor knowledge about law even having done three years as Adjutant General.
Veterans made to sign such code of conduct during service cannot stand in any court of law because it would be deemed as having been signed under duress. Even the common undertaking freeing dry cleaners from loss or damages beyond petty amounts through printed statement on receipts, has been declared illegal by courts. Yes, plenty avoidable litigation would crop up and another battery of lawyers employed against veterans, enabling more money making. But has the DESW won a single case of denying pension to war disabled and Veer Naris despite spending cr on lawyers?
Veterans continue to be governed by the provisions of IPC and other statutes of the land, which are adequate and include defamation regulations. So, where is the need for a Code of Conduct for Veterans? Is the intention to stifle and deny them airing legitimate concerns affecting them in particular and the society in general, which they had forgone while in service? What exactly is the ‘Code of Conduct’ to be signed? Will it include issues like keeping mum on the Rs 110 cr loss by AGIF due to IL&FS investments with Adjutant General Lt Gen Ashwani Kumar presiding over it, and the preliminary findings referred on Twitter implicate AK in the scam? Not that anything will likely happen to the big fish in the loss of Rs 110 cr because as former COAS General VK Singh mentioned in his autobiography, the “pipeline” goes right up to the PMO.
The real reason for demanding ‘Code of Conduct’ is just this, nothing more – so that skeletons remain safe in cupboards. The clear intent is to muzzle the veterans from freedom of expression. That AK was to become a veteran next day did not matter, because serving the ‘deep state’ alleviates you in the upper strata without the need to mix with riff-raff veterans. He may even be hallucinating becoming Deputy CDS – reward for demeaning his own service. Another option for him could be opening a legal firm ‘Veteran against Veterans’ (VAV) to help the army punish veterans who violate the ‘Code of Conduct’. There is an old saying that if you speak shit, it would fly back in your own face. So the counter question on social media is how about a ‘Code of Conduct’ for the Army hierarchy and the Adjutant General in particular? What has AK done in his three years tenure as Adjutant General with respect to: fraud in Sec 95, Gurgaon AWHO and many other AWHO projects; Rs 110 Cr loss due to IL & FS investment by AGIF; choking of AFT appointments with only two left functioning to-date and government intent to shut down these also; anomalies of Seventh Pay Commission; review of OROP blocked through fraudulent letter by CGDA; poor functioning of ECHS, and; endless litigation denying pension to the disabled and Vir Naris, among others?
Someone has commented that AK pronounced “aspects” as “aaspects” bamboozling Queen’s English. But humour apart, there are more observations like: “Whatever happened to men of character and professional honesty? What I find most despicable and reprehensible is him ridiculing the institution at the fag end of his service. Where was his morality all this while”;
“This General wants veterans to be disciplined through instructions issued by Service HQ? Somebody should tell him to read Article 19 of the Constitution and case laws on the subject of freedom of expression”, and; “When recently General Bipin Rawat publicly stated that he is not the Chief of Veterans and has nothing to do with their welfare, why is this spook poking his nose in veteran affairs?”
A comment also reads that ‘Conduct’ has a context and a cause and effect flow. It is not an isolated one way street. It relies on mutuality and trust, and above all a confidence that one’s problems will receive resolution. That sadly is not so currently, leaving a veteran in a crisis of identity on stepping into civil street.
(The author Lt General P C KATOCH is Distinguished Fellow, United Service Institution of India).
