|
|
|
|
|
| HOME | NEWS | DEAR REDIFF | |||
|
ASSEMBLY POLL '98
|
|
|
'The defence minister must not compare an admiral with Coca-Cola'
Date sent: Sun, 03 Jan 1999 22:41:51 +0530 Really Excellent! George Fernandes may be a good trade union leader, but it's our country's ill fate to have him as our defence minister! George Mercier
Date sent: Sun, 03 Jan 1999 22:40:26 -0800 Rediff editors should be aware that Adm Bhagwat and Adm Nadkarni did not enjoy the best of relations. Meanwhile, all praise to Tara Shankar ("Bob") Sahay for his excellent piece on the events of the day of the sacking!
Ravi Velloor
Date sent: Sun, 03 Jan 1999 16:49:50 +0700 The defence minister must not compare an admiral with Coca-Cola which he kicked out of the country years back. Everything should be made public and the minister's decision should be justified. In case the admiral was at fault, then a full enquiry is required to know how such a man could can reach the highest position in the navy. The situation demands a full explanation from the minister or he must be forced to resign. Manoj Saksena
Date sent: Mon, 4 Jan 1999 09:57:22 +0500 (GMT) It's excellent. You carried the interview on a topic that is hot. Indeed it helps people understand the behind-the-scene-affair in the sacking of the CNS. I felt this is grave mistake committed by the PM and defence minister. The President could have been helped in sorting out the differences. Thank you bringing these facts to the people.
Date sent: Sun, 3 Jan 1999 22:46:53 EST Have you forgotten George Fernandes when he used to lead the railway employees strike? He is a man who does not deserve the seat he occupies. He does not have the calibre and has let the armed forces down. He has insulted the soldiers in uniform. He should be removed. Atal Bihari is answerable to the people of India, come election day. He is running the country in a school master's style. Dr L S Bhatia
Date sent: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 18:54:43 -0500 It is sad that a decorated admiral was sacked. I hope there is no politicising of this issue. On the other hand, as a disciplined soldier, Admiral Bhagwat should not have gone to the media on the service related matter in defiance to the government ruling. A compromise should have been tried. Hope none of the political parties misuse this as an opportunity by opposing the government's decision and aggravating the situation. The PM should call for an immediate meeting of the Opposition leaders and concur with them.
Udayakumar
Date sent: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 13:37:57 -0500 I totally agree that bureaucrats should not have control over the armed forces and it should be with politicians. But the problem with our defence minister is not of any human nature. First he does not know what to say and when to talk. He is so incompetent to be the defence minister that bureaucrats have taken over and are treating everybody as a bunch of people with no brains. I feel so sorry for Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat. For all the sacrifices he made in his life, he did not deserve this at the end of his career. This sets a classic example to all young Indians not to sacrifice their life for India. It is not worth it. The best is to get out of India and lead a good life because you cannot do anything good for the country as long as the country is ruled by thugs and career bureaucrats, who are so incompetent and who have egos bigger than the nation. Raj
Date sent: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 22:29:38 +0530 "If there is one person who must be blamed for allowing the crisis to escalate, it is Defence Minister George Fernandes," said a defence analyst. I wonder why the defence analyst has chosen to remain anonymous. I thought defence analysts fear nothing and no one! Cdr MS Randhawa (Retd)
Date sent: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 15:19:45 +0530 The government is entirely justified and well within its rights to sack the admiral. India is a democratic republic and the army is under civilian control. The good admiral by his actions has challenged the government and this has the potential of undermining government control over the army. The criticism by Admiral Bhagwat's wife is unjustified but predictable considering that she is a member of the CPI. The Indian Communists ever since their birth have acted against Indian interests. Before Independence they colluded with the British and opposed Gandhi and India's independence. In the 60s they supported China during the Chinese aggression. The current 22-year-old CPI-M led government in West Bengal has reduced the once prosperous state to penury and chaos. One does not expect restraint from a person who is an active member of such a bunch. The outbursts of the admiral's wife should be viewed in this light.
Date sent: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 14:32:38 +0530 About the navy chief's dismissal? Discipline is one most vital part of the armed services' integrity and the former admiral has flouted the norms, the government is justified in punishing such act. It will send the right signal to the lower ranking officials. I think the government should also take action against the other vice-admiral involved in this controversy and close the chapter.
Date sent: Wed, 30 Dec 1998 16:30:37 -0800 Growing up in a defence family myself, I am against any mistreatment of armed forces personnel. The elected representatives should leave the armed forces to form their own team so that they can lead us, and defend this country. It is very stupid of the PM and the defence minister who know nothing about leadership or leading the armed forces to fire the admiral. Niloufer is very right in accusing the communal politics in Delhi for her husband's woes. An admiral who cannot speak up for himself will not speak up for the personnel he leads, what kind of morale killer does the government want to appoint? Next time they will have a Laloo or Mulayam and a politician like Pawar heading the defence forces. Time to give Kashmir to the Pakis and the rest of NE to China. Why have a demoralised armed forces? Let our neighbours grab whatever they want.
Date sent: Wed, 30 Dec 1998 11:52:31 -0600 Read the article authored by Admiral J G Nadkarni (retd) on your web site. It was certainly an eye opener and informative on issues so sensitive as national security and something that is often misunderstood or ignored by the common man by either lack of attention or lack of understanding of the subject. Obviously Admiral Nadkarni brings along his own decades of service experience as a navy officer, and especially someone who has personally dealt with the issues he explains so eloquently. Reading his article I am left with the impression that on the one hand more clearer regulations need to be formulated to guide the service officers through as they decide on/recommend promotions and appointments so that it does not adversely affect the general morale of the armed forces. On the other hand, civilian authority also needs to set some regulatory norms to guide their actions in such a way that civilian control over services is maintained with dignity without causing unwanted conflicts or unfair practices to go on unnoticed. I think people like Admiral Nadkarni are invaluable assets to our society who perform a great service by speaking out to inform public with articles like these. I sincerely believe people like him can be of great service if they also think about contributing to formulate such regulations with their insight on the subject matter. They can either draft a paper that would lead to formulation of some kind of legislation and submit the same to our Parliament, or directly participate in the political process to help make the governing laws. Thank you for having him on your web page.
Umesh Tiwari
Date sent: Wed, 30 Dec 1998 16:46:33 -0500 (EST) I found the following passage troubling -- "However, she revealed that the admiral would not contest his dismissal -- which she described as illegal and violative of the Constitution -- in the Supreme Court." Doesn't it strike anyone as odd that Mrs Bhagwat is so certain of the unconstitutionality of this dismissal, yet she will not take it to court? Abhijit
Date sent: Wed, 30 Dec 1998 17:00:28 +0000 Admiral Bhagwat had only acted within the powers entrusted to him by the Indian Constitution. His decision to stand against the "ministry" showed his guts. This is another example of the BJP's non competence... This seems to be more of an effort by the government to gain prominence and assert their power and distract attention from their internal contradictions and poor performance. The government should realise that the public is able to see through such exercises. Such acts would only permanently impair the credibility of the government and also demoralise the defence forces.
Sandeep Batra
Date sent: Fri, 1 Jan 1999 00:13:34 +0530 The unceremonious sacking of the naval chief was a foregone conclusion, obvious to any one with a bit of common sense. This was an extremely well orchestrated move by the bureaucracy which has a strangle hold on the entire government machinery. In the last fifty years every department, every institution has been corroded by the bureaucracy. The results are there to see for any one, take hospitals, education, ports, airlines, electricity boards, RBI, banks. In the name of controls every activity connected with the government has been emasculated, weakened and made useless. A sustained campaign has been carried out to tarnish the image of the forces who have withheld the onslaught of the bureaucracy systematically. First the army chief, then the air chief and now the naval chief. 'Leaks' and 'high sources in the defence ministry' have been putting out stories clearly to damage the fair name of the services. The non working wonder of a government has been lead by its nose once again into taking foolish steps, just like, the Tata affair, telecom muddle, Bezbaruah, petrol hike, UTI mess, onions, wheat imports and so many other instances. The only gainer is the entrenched bureaucracy -- the loser our country. If an intelligent minister like George Fernandes can be fooled into this situation, what do we do?
Date sent: Mon, 04 Jan 1999 10:08:40 +0530 It's a lot of bull!
Date sent: Sat, 02 Jan 1999 15:31:07 -0600 Jayalalitha's crocodile tears are simply not worth reporting! She is just trying all the tactics to remain in the limelight and ensure her survival against the court cases that are threatening her future. If possible, try to expose her hypocrisy -- if not, I think you could better devote the space and time for other things. Rajesh
|
||
|
HOME |
NEWS |
BUSINESS |
SPORTS |
MOVIES |
CHAT |
INFOTECH |
TRAVEL
SHOPPING HOME | BOOK SHOP | MUSIC SHOP | HOTEL RESERVATIONS PERSONAL HOMEPAGES | FREE EMAIL | FEEDBACK |
||