At a time when armed terrorists have infiltrated into the Indian air force station in Pathankot and have been attacking the security of our Country, it is sad to see few local opposition leaders playing petty politics and questioning the competence and abilities of Mr. Manohar Parrikar, by far one of India’s most pro-active defence Ministers. In times of crisis the nation must come together and stand together. After India – Pakistan war which resulted in creation of Bangladesh, Vajpayee praised Indira Gandhi even equating her to Goddess Durga. Constructive criticism is good and must be there. But loose statements made on the basis of rhetoric are not as these can affect the morale of those who are fighting and giving their lives to a tough battle. Today, Terrorism is a worldwide phenomenon which is striking the very roots of progress. When France was attacked the whole world joined them in solidarity but when our own Country is attacked, there are some who are doing the reverse. Why? That a person from our humble shores has gone on to become the defence minister of our country and is working in such difficult environment and terrain should be a matter of great pride as well as concern to us. If we cannot join him, let us at least support him and support the rest who are protecting us and our borders.
Terrorism will not tell when and where it will strike and which place the Defence Minister must be at a particular time. It can strike anyhow and anywhere as we witnessed in Mumbai or in America during the 9/11 twin towers strikes. What is important is how the Country deals with it and how terrorists can be neutralized with minimum collateral damage and casualties. If Mr. Parrikar comes and visits his own State and gives time to his own people, even that is being criticised. Is it a fair criticism? Parrikar’s position allows him to spend his weekends in luxury but he does not and prefers to live a simple live. For all purposes, let there be a constructive debate on the functioning of our Country’s security and on our defence minister. After all, so many lives of our own are at stake. But such debates must be based on facts and not on rhetoric. Where was the ministry before and where is it today? A fair analysis has to be done. Previously, there used to be bureaucratic inertia in dealing with most defence matters but through sincere and spirited efforts, one can see rapid acceleration in modernisation of projects now. Many long pending works are getting cleared in this sensitive Ministry in a time bound manner. The procurement of Rafale jets which were in cold storage for close to a decade is no mean achievement. So too the OROP pension scheme which again was lingering for years. Development of indigenous aircrafts, missiles and nuclear ballistic submarines, procurement of ammunition and other defence requirements, etc are few other works which he has fast-tracked within the short time that he has been at the helm. Sincerity, administrative abilities, work dedication and honesty are qualities which one associates Mr. Parrikar with. Pathankot has been more about intelligence failure and lack of coordination between different intelligence agencies. Blaming any one individual is just plain politics and will lead nowhere. The task before our honourable defence minister is to streamline the entire intelligence network to minimize such intelligence lapses. Modernizing India’s defence forces and turning India into a strong military power are few other challenges. No doubt the task is daunting and challenging but Mr. Parrikar has an abundance of sincerity and administrative acumen to address this issue which is of critical national importance. Warm regards, Sandeep Heble Panaji-Goa 9326129171
