The People and the People's War

Continuing our anthology of the Sino-Indian War of 1962, we bring you M. Ruthnaswamy’s article from the November 8, 1962 issue of Swarajya criticising the Nehru Government’s call for ‘sacrifice on part of the people’.

“It is not Mr. Nehru’s war, it is not my war, it is the people’s war,” proclaimed the Defence Minister last week-end when a full-scale Chinese attack burst on the NEFA border. He must be in a pretty state of jitters to make this appeal to the people.

For these two years he has been comforting us with the anodyne assurance that he and his Government and the Army were all sufficient to meet any move of the Chinese. In fact, he did not expect any serious situation to develop, for on the eve of his flight to the UNO he adjured the people not to get into any panic. It is well that he and other leaders are appealing to the people to stand united behind the Government. And they will. But the Defence Minister and his Government do not deserve this popular stand and support. For they have done little or nothing to tell the people about the seriousness of China’s hostile intentions and of the preparedness of the Government and the Army to meet the Chinese danger.

It is true they have been telling us that they and the Army are prepared. But they have steadily and consistently refused to give the people any information about this preparedness in defence. For the past two years there have been repeated requests in Parliament, in which even the former Speaker joined and from the public for the issue of a White Paper on the subject.

The Minister of Defence has persistently and stubbornly, and perversely, refused to issue such a White Paper and to answer any questions put in Parliament, and even in meetings of the Congress Parliamentary Party giving information on the sufficiency of the defences of the country and of the preparedness of the Army to meet any attack on the country.

This “hush-hush” policy of our Defence Ministry does not obtain elsewhere – where parliamentary democracy prevails. I have before me five White Papers on matters of Defence presented to the Parliament by the Prime Minister of England at short intervals. The first was on “Defence-outline of future policy” (in April 1957), the second on “Central Organization of Defence” (in July 1958), the third on “Progress of the Five Year Defence Plan” (in February 1959), a fourth, a “Report on Defence” (in February 1961), a fifth a “Statement on Defence in the Next Five Years”, ( in February 1962) – that is, five White Papers on Defence in the course of five years. As against this, the Indian Defence Ministry can show only a ‘Nil’ return for the last 10 years under the present Defence Minister’s stewardship.

To illustrate the perversity of the Defence Minister’s refusal on grounds of “secrecy” and “public” interest, to give reasonably safe information on the defences of the country, let me analyse the contents of the (British) White Paper on “Progress of the Five Year Defence Plan” issued in February 1959. Taking the Fleet first, we are told that “preliminary work has begun on four guided missile ships of the County class and two will be laid down in the near future, three frigates of the new Tribal Class have been laid down, the Fleet Air Arm is securing new air-craft like the Scimitar single-seat fighter-bomber and the Sea-Vixen two-seat all-weather fighter, the first three submarines of the Propoise Class were commissioned last year and two more will follow this year, and the first of three Tiger Class cruisers will be commissioned soon. “

As for the Army we are told “within the next 12 months half the army will have been re-equipped with F.N. Rifles and deliveries of Sterling sub-machine guns will be nearly completed, two artillery regiments have been equipped with the Corporal guided missile, requirements of Ferret Scout cars, Saladin armoured cars and 1-ton armoured trucks will soon have been met in full”.

As for the Air arms we are told “a general-purpose air-craft the T.S.R. 2 is being developed for the support of the army and for other tactical operations, it will have a supersonic, low-flying, all-weather capability and will, in its strike and reconnaissance role, provide a suitable replacement for the Canberra and in accordance with the Government’s policy to increase the mobility of the armed forces, the carrying capacity of the R.A.F. will be further expanded, the Lightning supersonic fighter will be equipped with the Firestreak Missile and later with a more advanced weapon capable of intercepting the faster aircraft of the future. And more of such detail. This will clearly show how fully the British Government takes the people into its confidence in regard to the defence of the country. Is it any wonder that the English people would to a man rally behind their Government in any crisis of defence?

But here, in India, our Defence Minister has kept the people in utter ignorance of the defence resources of the country. We are not told how and to what extent our Defence forces in that several arms and units are well equipped in personnel and training for fighting in general and for the special fighting circumstances in Ladakh and the NEFA border. Have our troops got the weapons, the air-craft, the transport, the tools that will enable them to do the job? Even at this late hour let the Defence Minister give us some information to support his assurances. Otherwise, his assurance will be mere sound and fury signifying nothing.

Are we to learn of our defence resources from the course of fighting that is going on at present, its ups and downs?

So far the Defence Minister has turned his back on the people but now asks the people to back him! Even the Prime Minister’s appeal on the radio last week will fall flat upon an uninformed people. He will have the support of an ignorant people called for by a government in difficulties, brought on by its own policies and programmes.

The Prime Minister called for sacrifice on the part of the people. He might have set the example of sacrifice by sacrificing some of his pet ideas and Plans. These, he is not willing to give up – the Plans and the non-alignment policy will continue. Only rulers who can themselves be ready to sacrifice, can expect sacrifice from the people. If despite all this the people support the Government – and they will, as they must—in this crisis it will be on account of their patriotism, not because their rulers deserve it.