‘count on us’
   Date :06-Sep-2020

 Army chief to jawans_1&n
 
 
THE strength of the calm confidence expressed by Chief of Army Staff General M.M. Naravane -- the nation can count on the Armed Forces no matter the tensions on the border with China-- cannot be missed. bereft of all rhetoric that may otherwise accompany such assertions, the Army chief’s statement made a critical and positive difference to the people’s morale that has been already high, thanks to the prompt and no-nonsense response the political leadership and the Indian Armed Forces gave to the Chinese misadventures. Everybody believed that the nation could count on the Armed Forces, no matter what China did. It was not General Naravane alone who communicated the quiet confidence.
 
Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, and top brass of paramilitary forces such as Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the Border Security Force (BSF) also stepped in to assure the people that the nation was in safe hands. And it was not a political tall talk, to say the least. On the contrary, sans the usual rhetoric and hype, all these people spoke in a calm manner, almost communicating a cold resolve to make China pay for its sins. This was a rare experience for a nation that had seen a lot of soft-pedaling on such issues.
 
The sturdy assurance by General Naravane was just one more of its kind in the line in the past few months. One fine morning, the nation felt pleasantly surprised to see Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi standing in front of hundreds of Indian soldiers in Ladakh and telling them that the nation was with them. Then came in quick succession the visit to Ladakh by Defence Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh. And from those moments on, the Army top brass has been visiting Ladakh and other forward areas reviewing the situation, making on-spot course correction, lending extra steel to the Forces, patting their backs, celebrating -- not grieving -- martyrdom of 20 bravehearts in Galwan Valley.
 
And as this spiritual quotient was kept at a constant high, the physical quotient, too, was kept at its best readiness -- acquisition of arms and ammunition and weapon-systems and aircraft like Rafale. Added to all that was the redeployment of the Navy’s MiG 29 squadron in advanced positions, plus plan to equip the Armed Forces with AK-47 300 rifles (which India would start manufacturing soon). Put together, all these counted to a very high point on the morale scale of the nation. That is the reason why we must see this larger picture -- of which General Naravane’s assertion is only a tip (of the proverbial iceberg) of national resolve coupled with actual action. All this does not happen just like that.
 
It happens as part of a bigger and grander plan put together with a lot of serious contemplation running deep into future. The people had never see this nuance of India. They had never been allowed to become parts of the bigger picture -- as the national leadership did not feel it fit to do so. But now, things appear to have changed for the better. The Government is all eager to make the people an integral part of the bigger story of national security and defence.
 
So says General Naravane that the nation can count on the Armed Forces despite the tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. The very thought is exciting, to say the least. Neither does it create any hysteria nor any over confidence. It is aimed at showcasing the new Indian confidence stemming from correct practices. Standing on that assurance, the nation can now say in return, “General Naravane, we know that we can count on you. And you, too, can count on us in a patriotic collaboration”.