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July 26, 1999

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Stick to your Brief CEC

Assembly elections only under Governor's rule? Let's discuss it later.

Editorial In a country where election season is often confused with silly season, it seems entirely appropriate. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) M.S. Gill has put his foot firmly in his mouth by suggesting that the governments of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Sikkim demit office before they are bound to. These states face assembly elections along with the Lok Sabha polls and Gill wants President's rule imposed to ensure the purity of the poll process. This scheme is something of a hobby horse with the CEC, having earlier been mooted in August 1998 on the eve of four state assembly elections. Since mere time does not sanctify impracticable and patently bad ideas, the Gill brainwave still remains a non-starter. There are many problems with it. For one, why does Gill talk about it only on the eve of elections? If he were serious, surely he could have made a proposal to this effect at any time between the past year's assembly elections and now. It could then have been debated by political parties and legislatures. To foist such notions upon an unsuspecting nation on the brink of elections is not on. That apart, where is the guarantee that the governor who will take over from the chief minister will be non-partisan?

Since the days of T.N. Seshan election commissioners have taken to their job like a bull to a china shop. True, elections have very visibly become less ostentatious. Yet, the penchant for sound bites, the super-cabinet status in the campaign period, the frowning upon opinion polls, the sheer hunger for publicity have often been difficult to digest. Elections, after all, are not an end in themselves; they are only the beginning of a new chapter in democracy. In the coming days, the Election Commission will impose a model code of conduct on parties. It should measure itself by a similar standard. India wants Gill and his colleagues to stick to their brief -- nothing less, nothing more either.

Tomorrow's Warfare

Nuke-tipped missiles are fine but spend more on the soldiers who actually go to war

Editorial Triumph notwithstanding, the Kargil war has thrown up issues India can ignore only at its peril. It was a victory of sheer grit over every conceivable obstacle, human or natural. That equation is true of every conflict -- whether Neanderthal or space age. Nevertheless, in a time of high-tech, remote-controlled warfare, it is appropriate to assess how many of the 400 deaths India suffered were avoidable. While analogies should not be drawn between such diverse battle zones, the low casualty rate of the US in the Gulf War does hold a lesson for India. In the past 10 years, India has systematically pared its defence budget. The reasoning: the money would be better spent on building missiles and a nuclear arsenal, ensuring mutual deterrence in the subcontinent. During war though, the N-bomb appears no more than a white elephant -- unused and unusable. It is then that the country turns to the doughty little jawan, expecting him to work miracles. Is this fair?

For a decade now, qualitative upgradation of the Indian defence forces has simply not happened. There have been the odd purchases of Sukhoi aircraft but the action has been fitful. With the political thrust absent, the defenders of Kargil found themselves short of not just artillery location radars but even glacier gear. The air force's fighter planes were asked to do duty in mountainous territory only because the advanced jet trainers had not been bought for 20 years. Thankfully tanks weren't used in Kargil. Otherwise the main battle tank would have been added to this list. While India's belief in indigenous technology and import substitution is understandable, national security can't wait for ability to catch up with aspiration. If the situation demands that the Defence Ministry go on a short-term shopping spree so be it. India will accept any accompanying austerity measures. It will not accept the shortchanging of its sentinels.

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