Importeomaniac Defence Procurement Tsars-Imaginary or Real !
Controversies like Rafael are not new to defence procurements through IMPORTs.
Since early independence days, days of inviting by Nehru an expert to advise on building “Self-reliance in defence” from the same nefarious Fascist regime that broke Bharat into “Tukre-Tukre” FEARING that Bharat MAY once rise to become a strong economic power and a competitor, the days of Jeep Scandal and…., till the recent controversies, one may wonder if those top guys (and gals ofcourse) intimately involved in such mega import deals can ever gather courage and honesty to claim on oath and signed affidavit that deals were clean, devoid of exchange of any ‘under the table gratification’ to anyone?!?
Hence, the degree or whiteness (or otherwise) is not the issue in this post…. irrespective of what is stated in the article in “The Quint”! https://hindi-thequint-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/hindi.thequint.com/amp/story/news%2Findia%2Fexclusive-conflict-of-interest-in-ministry-of-defence-over-rafale-deal-offsets?amp_js_v=a2&_gsa=1#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fhindi.thequint.com%2Fnews%2Findia%2Fexclusive-conflict-of-interest-in-ministry-of-defence-over-rafale-deal-offsets
But if the facts reported about the Trio – the Top 2 functionaries responsible for maintaining cleanliness in ‘Defence Deals’ (Accountability???) + Brother, a former Navy officer turned reportedly into a lobbyist, are correct than indeed the article may show a glimpse of what does the term “Importeomaniac Defence Procurement Tsars” refers to!
But is there anything new in it !?!
No one, no one at all, neither from the so actively critical media nor from the then ruling or opposition political parties…nor from any other section of society ever raised the relevant questions when in 1999 the grandson of a former Navy Chief and son of an Arms lobbyist cum Dealer mercilessly crushed down SIX lives under the wheels of his BMW:
-Is it acceptable that son of a Navy Chief work as an Arms Lobbyist?
-Could an honest person getting salary of a Navy Chief even in 1999 afford a BMW?
-Many more questions could and should have been raised but obviously were not! Such questions, if raised earlier might have helped in preventing many subsequent Bofors and Augustaaz from taking place allowing many indigenously developed products getting delayed or discarded and might have also spared our nation from having to witness the Gutterly Shame of its former Armed Forces Chief having to appear before CBI investigation team.
The brute powers of lobbyists is visible in the fact that the killer could not be kept confined to jail for long: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/bmw-case-six-lives-would-have-been-saved-if-sanjeev-nanda-showed-mercy-says-supreme-court-495315
https://m.hindustantimes.com/india/after-many-twists-and-turns-delhi-bmw-case-comes-to-an-end/story-CSGQbb9zxdiiqqALOlKIJL.html
The brute powers of lobbyists is visible in the fact that “No one killed Jessica” syndrome prevails in every Defence Procurement Scandal though investigations may continue indefinitely even long after the item itself gets obsolete, serving very effectively ONLY ONE FUNCTION – Political Gimmick as tool to Befool and Mislead the citizens, especially the voters!
So who are the “Importeomaniac Defence Procurement Tsars” making real decisions without any accountability? Certainly not the real “Fighting Soldiers” who are made to believe that all “Indigenous Defence Products” are JUNK, that Wars can be won Only and ONLY when soldiers have IMPORTed Weapons Platforms and Equipment (So what if those imported products are 2 to 3 generations older than indigenous ones, or the continuity of supplies of their critical spare parts is uncertain and has been blocked in past..,… and so on.
{For instance, F16 had been already flying for TWO decades or so when the FIRST fraction of the program to develop indigenous Light Combat Aircraft was sanctioned in mid 1993 in the shape of the 1st phase of Full Scale Engineering Development of Two Technology Demonstrator Aircrafts}
The sons of these Importeomaniac Defence Procurement Tsars don’t have to fight wars; can safely have their base in foreign countries selling the arms).
No wonder, India has continued to be ON TOP in the list of Arms Importing Countries for DECADES!
No wonder, the Arms Selling Countries and their Lobbyist have Gigantic Interest in keep expanding their lucrative Arms Bazaar called India even if it means SPONSORING UNRESTS and CONFLICTS in and around India!
PS.
For those not too familiar with our country’s set-up for Defence, Security including crucial “Defence Procurements” and as well onus for building Self-reliance in Defence Sector, a glance at MoD website will be sufficient to find that the topmost in the setup have been and are:
The Cabinet Secretary,
The three Service Chiefs,
The Defence Secretary,
The FADS (Financial Advisor with a rank of Secretary,
The CGDA (Controller General of Defence Accounts)
The Secretary Deptt of Defence Production
The Secretary Deptt of Defence R&D
This is ofcourse next in heirarchy to the Political bosses (Bosses?is that really so???), the PM, the RM and the MoS ie the public reps elected every 5 yrs or so.
In the category of the “Government servants” mentioned above, the last one i.e. the Secretary, Deptt of Defence R&D who also happens to be the Chairman DRDO happens to be an odd man out; the rest belonging to the over privileged class collectively considered as the “Ajar Amar Avinaashee Baboodom” – the Political bosses come and go.!
Since the post is basically about asking the right questions at the right time, did anyone ever raised question marks on role of the privileged class in Bharat’s continuation to suffer the dubious distinction of being world’s biggest importer of defence products?
vishvaadhaarambhaaratah 