Muslim Headcount in Armed Forces

NDA opposes religious
census in Armed Forces
From our Correspondent

In a Memorandum submitted to His Excellency the President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, on February 14, 2006, the National Democratic Alliance has taken exception to the Sachar Committee acting on the directions of the Prime Minister’s Office seeking communal details from the Armed Forces. It presents a trend that is disturbing the entire Nation and is fraught with dangerous consequences. Is this a prelude to reservations in the Army on basis of religion, the Memorandum has rightly asked. The Memorandum has also highlighted a reasonable apprehension of bias in the minds of the people of India and in our minds about Shri Navin Chawla’s ability to conduct himself impartially and independently as a Member of the Election Commission of India, in view of Shri Chawla having received funds from various Members of Parliament of the Congress Party from their MPLAD accounts for furthering the activities of his private Trust. It has demanded his removal as his continuance does not infuse confidence in his impartiality in the people’s minds. Full text of the Memorandum:

We, the Members of National Democratic Alliance, are constrained to approach your Excellency on two important issues concerning the polity of the Nation.

Firstly, the Government has appointed a High-level Committee headed by a retired Judge and comprising others to look into issues relating to the economic plight of the Indian Muslims. Poverty is an issue which needs to be handled with a non-discriminatory attitude. It cannot be handled through sectarian politics. It is obvious that the Central Government has done so with the intention of using this Committee and its recommendations to pursue a vote-bank politics. However, disclosures made in ‘The Indian Express’ in the last few days with regard to this Committee seeking communal details from the Indian Army present a trend, which is disturbing the entire Nation. The security forces and the Indian army deal with the defence of the country. The defence has to be handled on an entirely professional basis. Selections in the army are made on basis of ability to defend the country. The Army has no religion. It represents the entire country. For this Committee to start inquiring into the religious denominations of the personnel of the Armed forces and further probing the kind of postings being given to each one of them is fraught with dangerous consequences. Is this a prelude to reservations in the Army on basis of religion? It is the remedy worse than the disease. The Army is protesting and rightly so. However, these protests have turned to the deaf ears of the Government. As Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, we request you to intervene in the matter and stop all this exercise, which this High-level Committee has undertaken.

Secondly, when the appointment of Shri Navin Chawla was made as an Election Commissioner, many eyebrows were raised in the country. Shri Chawla had a dubious role for perpetuating the tyranny of the Emergency in 1975 in New Delhi. He was then the Private Secretary of the then Lt. Governor of Delhi. Justice Shah Commission had indicted him for his partisan behaviour and role. The career graph of Shri Chawla as a bureaucrat has depended essentially on the patronage of the Congress Party. Whenever the Congress Party has been in power Shri Chawla has obtained plum postings for himself. Shri Chawla has been personally on close family terms with the Congress President and her family. It is this proximity which earned him an appointment as Election Commissioner. Disclosures have now been made about Shri Chawla having received funds from various Members of Parliament of the Congress Party from their MPLAD accounts for furthering the activities of his private Trust. This indicates the cementing bond between Shri Chawla and the Congress Party. It creates a reasonable apprehension of bias in the minds of the people of India and in our minds about Shri Chawla’s ability to conduct himself impartially and independently. The NDA, through its Members of Parliament, will be submitting a detailed memorandum to you in this regard. This memorandum will be submitted very shortly. Through that memorandum we are going to request your Excellency to refer this issue to the Chief Election Commissioner for his recommendation with regard to Shri Chawla’s removal as an Election Commissioner under Article 324(5) of the Constitution of India. Through this preliminary memorandum the National Democratic Alliance requests your Excellency to use your moral authority in advising the Government and Shri Navin Chawla so as to ensure that Shri Chawla resigns from his post, thus preventing a serious constitutional embarrassment.

Yours sincerely

Members of NDA