The Inside Truth-VII
J&K Governor Saxena’s dinner created an event

From B L Kak

The event after sundown. When? On October 21, 1998. Where? Raj Bhawan, Srinagar, the capital city of Kashmir. Occasion? Dinner hosted by the Jammu and Kashmir Governor, Mr Girish Chandra Saxena. Purpose? Get-together. Invitees? Among others, Admiral Bhagwat, Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), his wife, Mrs Nilofer Bhagwat, and the US Ambassador to India, Mr Richard Celeste.

That Admiral Bhagwat sought to pursue the policy of transparency even after the Vajpayee Government dismissed him from active service can be borne out by the inclusion in his book of the question-answer session that took place between the US envoy, Mr Richard Celeste, and Mrs Niloufer Bhagwat at the Srinagar Raj Bhawan during the dinner hosted by the Governor, Mr Saxena.

And Admiral Bhagwat has termed as "very interesting" the questions asked by Mr Richard Celeste. Admiral Bhagwat’s loaded observation : "The main question that arises from this discussion is as to who in the Ministry of Defence was keeping the US Ambassador so well briefed?"

Mr Celeste’s question: What is happening between the Chiefs and the Ministry of Defence?

Mrs. Bhagwat’s reply: It is only a turf issue, I suppose.

Mr Celeste’s question: Is it all that simple? Do you advise the CNS on matters, which arise out of the MoD’s questioning?

Mrs. Bhagwat’s reply: The Military are self-opinionated… they don’t take advice.

Mr Celeste’s question: Is there a conflict of interest between your kind of work and the Admiral’s role and responsibility?

Mrs. Bhagwat’s reply: I don’t take military cases. Ours is a democrattem. It is a tribute to our Governments. They do not see it in the way you put it.

Mr Celeste’s question: What is the difference between the Sri Krishna Commission of Enquiry and the Jain Commission of Enquiry?

Mrs. Bhagwat’s reply: You have had your own experience with the Warren Commission inquiring into the assassination of John Fe Kennedy. Several red herrings were thrown before the Jain Commission (including the CIA involvement). The Jain Commission had to base some of the findings on hypothesis, whereas in the Sri Krishna Commission, everything in the report is based on facts and evidence.

Before Admiral Bhagwat’s visit to Kashmir, he had an important interaction with Mr Brajesh Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee. But before that meeting on September 8, 1998, Admiral Bhagwat has an input from "a senior personality" that Mr George Fernandes had told him (Mr Brajesh Mishra) that his Defence Secretary, Mr Ajit Kumar, had conveyed to him that Admiral Bhagwat was "inciting" the Army Chief.

"This gentleman", Admiral Bhagwat says in his book, "who was on close terms with Mr Fernandes, had in turn told him (Mr Fernandes) what had come to his knowledge that some senior officers of the Armed Forces had begun to play a game of communal divide". Mr Brajesh Mishra had, during his meeting with Admiral Bhagwat, asked him whether he knew about a letter which Mr George Fernandes had addressed to the Prime Minister. Admiral Bhagwat replied in the negative.

The book has divulged that Mr Brajesh Mishra then proceeded to tell Admiral Bhagwat that Mr Fernandes, in his letter to the PM, had referred to his (Admiral Bhagwat’s) lack of amenability to civil control. He said that he would like to offer a word of advice to all the three Chiefs of Staff that they had to show more deference to political authority. Mr Brajesh Mishra, Admiral Bhagwat says, was obviously referring to a meeting of the Army Chief, Gen. VP Malik, and the Prime Minister on J&K border escalations.

The book has quoted Mr Brajesh Mishra as having told Admiral Bhagwat that the best thing would be to "clear the air" with the Defence Minister. On his return to his office, Admiral Bhagwat fixed up a meeting with the Defence Minister at 4.45 pm on Wednesday, September 9, 1998.

Admiral Bhagwat has revealed: "When I went to meet the Minister, he got up to receive me. We shook hands and I went straight to the subject ‘Brajesh Midshra told me that you had written a letter to the PM about the CNS… I have come to clear the air. Completely avoiding the subject, he was at his diplomatic and disarming best… and said, ‘he had stated in every forum, Cabinet meetings, discussions with my colleagues that you are the most cerebral officer in the Armed Forces…I had praised you for your vision, commitment to long term national goals, specifically as regards the air defence ship and the submarine building plan and you have my unstinted support in all".

Responding to another question from Admiral Bhagwat, Mr George Fernandes, as stated in the book, told him: "No…no…please don’t misunderstand. As a Minister in previous Governments also, I wrote letters to the Prime Minister and the President, once in two months or so. It is only for information as to how things are progressing in my Ministry… I only referred to your using strong language and some gaps in communications with you as the Navy Chief. I should have, I would have talked to you about my perceptions".

Admiral Bhagwat, in a obvious reference to the controversial Defence Minister, has emphasised that it is the "duty of the Government of the day to ensure in letter and spirit that the basic features of the Constitution are strengthened and never permitted to be undermined or subverted". And his warning: "Any other course would lead the country to a path of self-destruction which ids a one way street. The poison of hateful politics spreads fast and it will make us a Yugoslavia, Bosnia, Kosovo or Chechnya".

(Concluded)

Panchayats and elections

By Prof Anmol Singh

Panchayat is the council of ''wise and Noble'' men of a village. It is a village-based body. In olden times, villages would choose noble and wise men from amongst themselves to make a council or Panchayat to look after the well being of villagers and the village. Truthfulness and justness was the watch-word of a panchayat. The person chosen for the panchayat is called ''PANCH''. The word Panch has nothing to do with the figure 'five'. The word was used for very noble, wise and godly person. Thus they would say Panch-Parmeshwar. So much was the respect and regard for the Panch. The word of Panchs was final for the villagers and they would take it as divine wisdom. The Panchs of a village would solve the problems of the villagers and villagers would live happily.

Our neighbouring country, Nepal has a well defined Panchayat system. Before independence, villages had their own Panchayats in our country. After independence Government of India resolved to introduce Panchayat Raj. It was aimed at the upliftment of the villages through Panchayats. As, ours is a democratic polity, the village Panchayats also got involved in party Politics. The democracy was exploited to the hilt. The ''noble and wise'' of the villages were elected rather than chosen by the villagers. The political parties started giving mandate to the candidates desirous of fighting elections and winning the same for the party. The political parties, claim the states on the basis of panchayat elections. Thus villager lost his say in choosing the ''wise and noble'' as Panch of the village-the Panch Parmeshwar!! Party politics has changed the concept of panch and Panchayat. A political party wants its candidate to win the seat, no matter, what means he or she adopts to win. Gandhiji said means should be noble to meet noble ends. But post-independence polity paid no heeds to what Mahatma Gandhi desired, Practised or advised in this regard.

They say-all is fair in love and war and especially the ''War of Votes''. Money and muscle power, food and wine- which ever works, is put to use for the 'noble cause of the party'; Forget about the voter. He is of no consequence after voting.

In our state, panchayat elections are being held these days. These are not being fought on party-lines. They say, these elections are being held after a long gap of twenty three years. When were these held last time, few people remember, but these were not held the way, it is being done now. Sarpanchs and Panchs filed their nomination papers. They were given the option to withdraw. They were allowed to canvass in the true democratic fashion. About 200 to 250 votes were allowed to vote for a panch and neary 1500 to 2000 voters were to vote for a Sarpanch. For this small number of votes by and large, voters did not assert their wisdom or they were not heeded to and the aspirants (candidates) tried their luck by the most democratic method, they had seen their peers practising in the assembly and parliamentary elections. Loudspeakers, hand-bills, posters were used and door to door canvassing was done by the candidate in small segments of villages. The loud-speakers blared round the clock. Hand-bills and posters decorated every conceivable place in the village houses and lanes. Some candidates came out with appeals, for getting the low literary rate of villagers. The door to door canvassing of many candidates from same locality embarrassed the voters as much as cracking sound of loudspeakers stunned them. To crown it all the liquor flowed through the narrow lanes of the villages in sample quantity. Some candidates treated the votes with food and tea, others helped (corrupted) them with money. Where lady candidates were in field, their husbands pleaded for their spouces in true ''Bharti Pati'' style. The day of voting and after results were equally embarrasing for the small segments of village voters. It is not clear what plans, what menifestos or schemes the elected nobility of the villages have in their regarding upliftment of their villages.....but the heat and dust created during election may not be repeated. Afterall, the village community is a wellknit society from times immemorial. They had been using their wisdom to keep the environ of the village pleasant.' Baradaries' have lived in harmony and have been managing their own affairs. In some villages, this time also the community used their collective wisdom and chose their Panchayat representatives unanimously, and saved themselves from the electionering cresendo, in true panchayat spirit.

As the panchayats for different villages are being formed and the panchayat Raj is being ushered in our state also, it is expected that the villages will be taken care of in right perspective. It is expected that, under panchayat Raj, (i) the villagers will get the facility of SULAB Scheme, started by the Central Government long ago.

There will be no human excreta scattered around the villages and village fields. This will check nematode infection among village children and save them from anemia. (ii) The Panchayats will also take care of the drainage sysem of the villages. Cesspools will not be there to breed mosquitoes. Malaria/filaria/viral fevers spread by mosquitoes will leave the villages alone. It will be a great achievement of panchayats on village health front. (iii) The drinking water and its contamination will also be taken care of by the panchayats. This will check the spread of waterborne diseases like diarrohea and dysentery in villages (iv) It is expected that panchayats will also ensure the efficient functioning of village school and all village children will avail of the opportunity of receiving elementary primary education, thereby ensuring 100 percent literacy. (v) They will also ensure the efficient functioning of village/Block. dispensaries so that villagers get medical aid if and when required. (vi) Panchayats may also educate the villagers regarding the dangers of drinking and smoking, and also about the dangers of deadly AIDS. (vii) Panchayats can also educate villagers regarding problems of over population. (viii) The villagers will get the guidance to go in for improved methods of agriculture, other professions and vocations practised there. (ix) There is ample scope of cottage industry in our villages. The panchayats can ensure the suitable cottage industries for their respective villages. Numerous jobs can be generated in the village itself. Under the noble and wise guidance of Panchayat, village youth can start numerous profitable jobs and market their produce in the nearby towns and cities. This is a chance to translate the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi regarding the prosperity of village and the development of a prosperous and strong India.