The culture of suppressing voices has cost the nation. This is what happened with Tej Bahadur, the BSF constable, who was sacked for having spoken the truth. Is doing so, in a supposedly ‘disciplined' force, a crimeIJ
T he dismissal of a Border Security Force (BSF) constable, Tej Bahadur Yadav, for complaining about bad food on the social media normally should not be economic news. But it is hard economy. The constable was only trying to respond to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to speak up against corruption — that is ruining the Indian economy.
It was baddal that his video clips allege. None has apparently denied it. That means the meal was bad. This also means that our jawans are not treated with care and concern, that is promised to them. It means that the nation is taking less care to make them battle ready. It translates into spending thousands of crores of rupees at the cost of deprivation of the targeted people.
Our jawans deserve good and healthy food. It is their right. Food is a part of their necessary perk in remote areas for defending the country or fighting anti-nationals. One bad food can cost the nation heavily. While our jawans are sacked for speaking the truth, those who procure and serve ‘bad’ food are not meted out any punishment.
The BSF said that Tej Bahadur Yadav never approached the grievance redressal mechanism. Everybody not only in the forces but even in Government office, knows that approaching a redressal mechanism attracts more retribution than solution. The dictum is ‘boss is always right’ and ‘show me the face, I shall show you the rule’. Unfortunately, for this constable, like thousands others who are suffering, his face was not on the rule book!
Is speaking out loud about a condition that normally nobody listens to a crimeIJ The Prime Minister has been asking everyone — and that means all those in the forces too — to tell him about malfunctioning anywhere. Is doing so in a supposedly ‘disciplined’ force should be considered a crimeIJ
The officers who have done it apparently have tried to ignore what the Prime Minister told the nation. They are keen on perpetuating their misrule than adhere to what the political master tell them. Should it not be considered as a move to shield the guiltyIJ Instead, they heaped insult and humiliation on the poor, powerless constable. Should not the BSF bosses be meted out the maximum punishment for virtually demotivating the cadreIJ
It is a grave issue. In 1960s, a large number of people in the forces were detected with several and severe heart conditions. The jawans then had complained about poor hydrogenated oil (vanaspati oil). For years, nobody listened, but as there were many casualties, quietly, orders were issued to replace vanaspati oil. Delayed decision cost not only families of the jawans but also the nation as trained men either had to be lost or retired early.
The forces and Government departments resort to gag the voices. This is a colonial tradition of ‘maintaining discipline’. It does not check rebellion as the BSF wants to say.
It creates anger. It seethes and the nation has witnessed many outbreaks at different times that led to sudden firing by jawans, killing their compatriots and officers almost in all kinds of defence and para-military forces. When they can’t speak out, they express through the barrel of the gun. That is rebellion. But that is, in most cases, the result of repression.
Today, the cops may not be speaking up but if the Prime Minister does not intervene to restore the honour, pride and job of Tej Bahadur Yadav, it can lead to an outburst some day. The jawans and Government employees have faith in the Prime Minister.
Besides, these smaller people are the greatest soldiers for the Prime Minister in his fight against corruption. There were scams worth trillions during the UPA regime. These could happen because the voices of the people at the lower rung were muzzled. These were also exposed because many of the ‘non-entities’ whispered about these. Many of it came out from ‘anonymous’ sources.
That the forces have many skeletons in their cupboard is well-known. The secrecy is used more for camouflaging these. Those on eastern borders know how cattles are smuggled out to the neighbouring country. It is an organised mafia often aided by those in uniform.
Procurement of arms, aircraft and other logistics since yore was questioned. Many of these came to light because people within the organisation discreetly spoke up.
Non-performing assets (NPAs), that were rising since 2009, were no secret. But nobody, not even the Reserve Bank of India, spoke in clear terms. Today, the Jaypee group, which has an unpaid amount of Rs75,000 crore (earlier it was Rs95,000) is being talked about. But has anybody questionedIJ Why was this not termed NPA officiallyIJ The bank employees’ voices were suppressed.
The Air India has gone into Rs30,000 loss because of decision of two CMDs Arvind Jadhav and Raghu Menon. There are reports that as chairman of another autonomous organisation one of them had coerced it to draw illegal favours of over two lakh rupees a month and swindled crores sanctioned for making a university. They even illegally sacked uncomfortable people. The organisations even today are mortified to speak against them. Nobody wants to lose a job, the officers and employees say. And the corrupt get rewards of new posting even as information commissioners managed by their colleagues. Similarly, the coal scam was virtually on the open block. But it took a regime change to act against it.
The culture of suppressing voices in Government and semi-Government organisations has cost the nation heavily. Nobody apparently is accountable for the taxpayers’ money. Many misdemeanours, despite public knowledge, go unreported officially.
The NDA regime of Prime Minister Modi has brought in many changes. It has to ensure that those who know should speak up. They can and that is what Tej Yadav proved. But if they would get such inhuman treatment, sacked from service for speaking the truth, face Summary Security Force Court, the truth will always be swept under the carpet.
Modi has ushered in whizz of fresh air. let the people be allowed to speak for nation-building. People love him see punishing the guilty but he has to protect and encourage those who speak against the guilt.
(The writer is a senior journalist)