Politicization of the military and militarization of politicians has accelerated in recent years. Witness bureaucracy-backed politicians sporting military uniforms, head dresses (some over pyjama/dhoti) and imported goggles, strutting around like roosters. But as Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw once said – without knowing the difference between a guerilla and a gorilla.
Braggards are galore. Home Minister Amit Shah told Parliament we will take back POK and Aksai Chin. So, China’s 2020 Ladakh invasion shut the gate to Aksai Chin. Before the 2024 general election, UP CM Yogi Adityanath said if Prime Minister Narendra Modi wins, he will take POK within three months. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh yodels POK will automatically fall into our lap – like Newton experienced the apple. So, Newton formulated the Law of Universal Gravitation and Rajnath lyrics Not Even an Inch of Territory Lost (in Ladakh)– willful subterfuge! This, after meekly vacating the Kailash Range and no question now of any PLA moving back from the LAC.
An erudite veteran-scholar wrote two years back the government has so infected the military’s head that the fence is now eating the crop. Two recent articles must be read; one by former CNS Admiral Arun Prakash and another by veteran Lt Gen HS Panag.
Admiral Arun Prakash finds a push towards public display of a politically-motivated religious-cultural identity with senior military leaders in uniform participating in religious ceremonies with politicians and increasing references to mythological/religious themes in public briefings/utterances; to please the political establishment – violative of the oath of allegiance to the Constitution. He describes in detail grave consequences of political polarization for the military and national security.
Gen Panag points out Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and COAS Upendra Dwivedi, warning Pakistan of changing its history and geography, incredulous and bizarre. CAS ACM AP Singh also talked of 12 to 13 PAF aircraft downed in Operation ‘Sindoor while dismissing Pakistan’s claims of shooting five to six fighter IAF aircraft on May 7. Gen Panag says India must formalise national security strategy and national defence policy; military capability must enable offensive deterrent on Pakistan and dissuasive deterrent on China. Victory is in the psychological domain, not in quantifying physical damages; focus should be for effecting psychological paralysis. Our narrative should have focussed on IAFs full control over Pakistani skies on May 10, with multiple PAF assets neutralised. He emphasizes the military must give professional advice to the government, with moral courage to point flaws in the strategic directions received.
When Gen Dwivedi visited Jagadguru Rambhadracharya’s ashram in Chitrakoot in May 2025, the seer asked him for POK in Guru Dakshina (Teachers Fee). Dwivedi didn’t mention Rajnath had declared POK will fall automatically in our lap. One view is Dwivedi plans to quietly pluck POK from Rajnath’s lap and gift it to the seer. Ironically, service chiefs are falling over each other to become the next CDS. ACM AP Singh, who earlier claimed six PAF aircraft destroyed in Op ‘Sindoor’, now says 12 to 13. Observers feel Dwivedi has a major lead in the CDS race, as he is readying for a political role even CDS, looking at the manner he is greeted at his hometown.
Gen Dwivedi capitalized on Op ‘Sindoor’ by using it as a symbol on his official letterhead, which FM Sam Manekshaw never did after the greatest Indian victory with 93,000 Pak prisoners. There are no limits to buttering the political hierarchy. A former CNS spent government funds to instal a Shivaji statue on civil land introduced kurta-pyjama in officer messes, perhaps taking the cue from the DRDO using government funds to make a silver carriage for the Rath Yatra. But his future ambassadorship went down the drain when the statue collapsed. Ironically these jokers give up dignity without acknowledging karma is unalterable – looking at the end the first CDS met.
India achieved big in Op ‘Sindoor’ but the talk of free-hand to the military is poppycock looking at who all were singly summoned to the PM’s house by night. The military hierarchy lacked the spine to point out the flaws in the PM’s strategic direction – only targeting terrorist targets on the first day which resulted in the IAF losing six fighter jets, including one Rafale, on May 7. External intelligence under NSA Ajit Doval was atrocious – we didn’t know most terrorist hideouts had been vacated, American nukes are stored in areas of Kirana hills and Nur Khan, Nur Khan Air Base is under US control, and how Pakistan could hit IAF jets especially with IAF pilots sans encrypted communications.
About 30% Indian MPs and MLAs face serious criminal cases. The worst was Rajnath telling Parliament no loss of material and men in Op ‘Sindoor’. Morality is alien to politicians and this person habitually lies in Parliament, but not honouring sacrifices of men in operations is sacrilege. ACM AP Singh at least visited injured IAF personnel but Gen Dwivedi didn’t even do that. Why are service chiefs sloganeering like politicians or it doesn’t matter once conscience is killed? The Navy’s so-called ‘Bara Khana’ aboard INS Vikrant for Modi was no less than a colonial dinner minus the wines.
Most national leaders have idiosyncrasies – the most idiotic being US President Donald Trump. But Modi’s penchant for theatrics and self-aggrandizement are at bursting point. In a writeup titled ‘The Emperor has No uniform – And What A Fall It’s Been’ a veteran wrote that Modi’s visit to INS Vikrant was not a gesture of leadership or national pride but another hollow over-production; familiar vanity parade with dramatic visuals, choreographed camera angles, and yet another round of wardrobe drama – a leader dressed for the lens rather than the moment. Link to this Facebook post is naturally rendered dysfunctional but looking at the coverage of Modi waving to a fighter jet taking off, an Indo-American compares it to Modi waving a green flag to a passing train.
Who decided to rename Infantry Day as Shaurya Divas? Infantry Day is unique to the Infantry but Shaurya is not limited to the Infantry alone. Speculation is Shaurya Divas is pay back by CDS Anil Chauhan to honour NSA Ajit Doval’s son (Shaurya) since Chauhan as three-star retiree was under Doval for nine months and then elevated to four-star CDS. Another post says our traditions, our history, our honour, being destroyed one step at a time – but Dwivedi is mum as bitten by a snake. Chauhan also publicly said we don’t need a written national security strategy; to protect Doval’s failure to define it despite being officially tasked to do so years back?
The current multiple military exercises are supposedly to intimidate Pakistan. But then Taiwan (1/16th the size of Ukraine) should have surrendered with PLA exercises around the island country over the past several months/years. Would Rajnath posing with Bhairav Commandos, yet to be fully organized and equipped, scare Pakistan? Isn’t it pathetic that despite repeated intelligence reports of 120 heavily armed terrorists in the launchpads across the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K waiting to cross into India, the political hierarchy can’t muster the spine to hit them?
India is out of ’Ayni’ and ‘Farkhor’ air bases in Tajikistan, jointly operated by the IAF and the Tajik Air Force that gave India a strategic advantage in Central Asia and Afghanistan. To cover up this foreign policy failure, false narrative is built that India is to occupy Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base
and another saying IAF is already operating from there. Also, there are posts (in English and Hindi) that India has widened the Siliguri Corridor to 60-km; masking the activity from the world with a special satellite. One deep-fake shows an army officer saying one terrorist attack in India will change the map of the world – either we will expand our Chicken neck or break the neck of Pakistan.
One doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but with no action to block such fakes, these are possibly government-sponsored.
Modi doesn’t have to be accountable to anyone – he has avoided press briefing since he became prime minister. But the military hierarchy salivating over carrots must remember they have to look soldiers in the eye – choose between being upright or spineless. Finally, readers can view what a veteran has posted on Facebook and Linkedin and draw their own conclusions.
PN: The author is an Indian Army veteran. Views expressed are personal.
A hard hitting but absolutely true picture of the abysmal lack of spine of today’s top brass. Pics of COAS in ridiculous poses and pics with religious leaders does not bode well for what is supposed to be an apolitical army with allegiance only to the Constitution and the only religion being that of the troops. The dangled carrot seems to have stripped the COAS of even a modicum of dignity of uniform. Sad state of affairs
Thanks Sir, your pieces are hard, unpalatable facts which only an honorable, serving or veteran officer can accept, but definitely not a MASTERSTROKE-struck serving or veteran. I have seen the uniform from position of grace once Rawat Sahib was propped as Vice Chief and then Chief under the premise that, it was not an era of wars, but only counter terror operations hence an Infantry man was given the task, but not the other two officers – one was from Armored Corps and the other from Mechanised Forces. Since then, Armed Forces have gone down a spiral – politicisation of Generals and militarisation of politicians 🍻