In India, the Army is an institution that makes many of us very proud. Their valour and sacrifices make us revere them. Soon after our country’s independence, the Army was always kept apolitical. At a time when across the world young democracies were being stamped out, Indian democracy managed to not only survive, but also prosper.
The recent poll rhetoric surrounding the armed forces is not a healthy trend. Piggybacking over the valour of apolitical organisation is like taking undue advantage of their hard work. The BJP-led government has made the Army one of their poll planks. The saffron party claims to have strengthened the Army like never before and highlight how during the Congress regime, the Army was misused.
Congress has fallen prey to this trend as well by highlighting the alleged six surgical strikes it had carried out during its term. The recent controversy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi claiming that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi used INS Viraat as a “personal taxi” has seen many former Navy officials come to the forefront to either confirm PM’s allegation or deny it.
The problem rises when every now and then, the Army is used for political mileage. Using the armed forces for such a reason is not a good thing. There are many examples in the world of things going horribly wrong when the army becomes political. Take our neighbour Pakistan for example. In the 60s when its army first took control of the country, the people appreciated it because it was able to do many things that the politicians of the country had failed to do such as cleaning roads and sewers and disciplining civil servants.
It did not take long for the army to get corrupted and today the most powerful man in Pakistan is not the Prime Minister, but the Pakistan’s Army Chief. The real group of people in Pakistan are not its politicians, but its the army and the intelligence service. Similarly, in neighbouring Myanmar and Thailand, military juntas are in power. Democracy has become namesake and freedom of speech has become a relic of the past.
Using the army as a political tool may have unintended consequences. Venezuela is one country where the army is used by its politicians to stay in power. After the price of oil began to dip, Venezuela began to see an economic downturn. The only way to stay in power was by bribing the army for its support. This is what keeps Nicholas Maduro in power there.
Former army personnel joining politics is a good trend. In the US, many people after serving the army joined politics. Most of the US presidents after World War II have served in the army. Dwight Eisenhower had served during the World War I and later served as the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during WW II.
Hopefully, using the Army for political gain will stop. It isn’t a good poll plank for a country that has many other issues to focus upon.
