Respected Veterans,
Jai Hind.
1. In Para 4 of my email dt. 28 Oct 2016 reproduced below,
For: ‘in the face of patently unacceptable behavior by Gen Satbir Singh, the Chairman IESM’;
Read: ‘in the face of patently autocratic behavior by Gen Satbir Singh, the Chairman IESM’.
2. While criticizing Gen Satbir for his autocratic (taking no account of other people’s wishes or opinions; domineering) behavior, I would say that display of autocratic behavior is part of human psyche; for, not many of us can maintain our equipoise in the face of overwhelming adulation. When bestowed with adulation like the one witnessed at Jantar Mantar at the peak of Relay Fast for Justice by Ex-Servicemen, where a few Ex-Servicemen would shout, ‘Fauj ka General kaisa ho; General Satbir Singh jaisa ho’, time & again, it does tend to encourage people to turn into ‘cult figures’; and that is exactly what happened to Gen Satbir Singh. He turned himself into a cult figure; and that was the start point of his autocratic behavior.
3. My association with Gen Satbir Singh goes back to first week of Apr 2008, when he gave a call to organize Ex-Servicemen Rallies all over the Country on 27 Apr 2008, in support of our demand for OROP.He has been the leading light of IESM; and his contribution to the cause has been unparalleled. Yet, it is his autocratic behavior, which has brought about, not only his downfall; but also the ruination of IESM. It is sad for people like me and thousands of Ex-Servicemen who with their sweat & blood built IESM brick by brick, to see IESM in tatters.
4. A word about Lt Gen Raj Kadyan. Suffice to say, ‘Lt Gen Raj Kadyan is no saint’. In his case too, it is his autocratic behavior and insatiable love for ‘Gaddi or Kursi’ ie. to be Life Chairman of IESM; and his fondness for being close to powers that be, with the hope of wangling a post of power & pelf, that caused the split in IESM in July 2013. The trouble started when inspite of repeated requests from Gen Satbir Singh (then Vice Chairman of IESM) and Members of the GB asking Lt Gen Raj Kadyan not to meet the Raksha Mantri all by himself; but to take a few them also alongwith him; he paid no heed. The second reason for the split was Lt Gen Raj Kadyan felt himself marginalized in the GB; and, to strengthen his position and leverage, he tried inducting a few JCOs & OR in the GB during the AGM held in Nov 2012. Rightly or wrongly, Gen Satbir Singh (then Vice Chairman IESM) and other Members of the GB thwarted Gen Kadyan’s designs.
5. To end, I wish to ask: Is there a way to retrieve IESM from the mess it is in; and, can IESM be rejuvenated? I say, YES; provided both Gen Raj Kadyan and Gen Satbir Singh set aside their ego and bury their differences and unite for the sake of survival of IESM, in the interest of Ex-Servicemen & their families. In order to strengthen IESM as a truly pan India org, both Gen Raj Kadyan and Gen Satbir Singh should participate in the AGM in Nov 2016; for which, Gen Satbir Singh must extend an invitation to Gen Raj Kadyan. It would be ideal to get three senior veterans of the rank of Lt Gen, Vice Admiral and Air Marshal to preside over the AGM. That is what I did during the inaugural session of IESM at NOIDA on 13 Aug 2008, where Lt Gen Guru Bakshi, Vice Admiral Barin Ghose and Air Marshal Virendra Puri were present at my request.
6. In the AGM, before commencement of AGM proceedings to elect new office bearers and new members of the Governing Body, Gen Raj Kadyan and Gen Satbir Singh should shake hands and both of them must step down from the Chairman’s post. And while stepping down, Gen Raj Kadyan, as a gesture of goodwill & magnanimity should announce withdrawal of all Court cases aginst Gen Satbir Singh, Gp Capt VK Gandhi and Wg Cdr CK Sharma and the case from the office of Registrar of Societies, Gurgaon, de-recognising IESM faction led by Gen Satbir Singh; and thus put an end to all bad blood.
7. IESM being a pan India org, I suggest, a Veteran from the West (Punjab/Haryana/Rajasthan) be elected as Chairman and a Veteran from the South be elected as Vice Chairman; so that next year, the AGM is held in the South and the Vice Chairman elected this year is automatically elevated as the Chairman next year. And in the AGM next year there would be a requirement of electing only a Vice President, who should preferably be from North (not NCR). For the sake of convenience, two Veterans from NCR or from States around NCR (within a striking distance of overnight journey), be elected as Gen Secy and Dy Gen Secy. And again for the sake of convenience, two Veterans from NCR, be elected as Treasurer and Joint Treasurer.
8. A ‘Working Group’ based at Delhi comprising a Working President and a Vice President be elected from Veterans based at NCR, for close interaction with the PMO, MoD, Service Chiefs, etc.
9. Neither Gen Raj Kadyan nor Gen Satbir Singh should stand in the elections, for any post. They should be honoured by inducting them as Patrons.
Regards,
Col Rajan
Bangalore, 9449043770
PS: A DRAFT Org Structure for IESM, fwd by me to the GB in 2010, is attached for perusal please.
CATCH THE BULL BY ITS HORNS
AN APPEAL TO THE CHAIRMAN IESM
AND MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING BODY OF IESM:
PLEASE STAND UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT; AND, DO NOT SHY AWAY
FROM YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
To,
Maj Gen Satbir Singh, Chairman IESM & Member GB;
Maj Gen PK Renjen, Vice Chairman IESM & Member GB;
Maj Gen AJB Jaini, Member GB;
Brig CS Kamboj, Member GB;
Brig Sharad Luktuke, Member GB;
Brig Harwant Singh, Member GB;
Col Kirit Joshipura, Member GB;
Col RP Chaturvedi, Member GB;
Gp Capt VK Gandhi, General Secretary IESM & Member GB;
Wg Cdr CK Sharma, Treasurer IESM & Member GB;
Cdr Ravi Pathak, Member GB;
Cdr Sharan Ahuja, Member GB;
Hon’y Lt Kameshwar Pandey, Member GB; and,
A few more Members of GB whom I do not know or I am not aware of
AN APPEAL TO THE CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING BODY OF IESM:
PLEASE SET YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER
Respected Sirs,
Jai Hind.
1. Though I am not a Member of IESM, having resigned in Dec 2010, on matters of principle; yet, having been one of the founder members of IESM and a stake holder; I appeal to you all to set your house in order.
2. Like most Ex-Servicemen, I am pained to see Gen Satbir Singh’s email announcing recommencement of Relay Fast for Justice (RFFJ) by Ex-Servicemen at Jantar Mantar wef 1 Nov 2016. There is absolutely no ground for recommencement of RFFJ at Jantar Mantar since, (a) we having filed a case regarding OROP in the Hon’ble Supreme Court; the matter is sub-judice (under judicial consideration and therefore prohibited from public discussion elsewhere); and (b) the one man Judicial Committee headed by Justice L Narasimha Reddy has submitted its report only yesterday (ie. on 26 Oct 2016) and the Govt would take some time to study the Report.
3. I wonder whether it is the same Gen Satbir Singh, who, I have always referred to as the leading light of IESM; and, who now takes unilateral decisions, detrimental to the interests of Ex-Servicemen.
4. Respected Members of the Governing Body (GB), I, having talked personally to a few members of the GB; and, I, having read a few emails emanating from Members of the GB expressing their disappointment with Gen Satbir Singh, the Chairman IESM, for taking unilateral decisions without consulting them, is indeed a sad state of affairs. It is very evident that, the call by Maj Gen Satbir Singh to recommence RFFJ at Jantar Mantar has no sanctity; as the same has neither been approved; nor being supported by the GB. I understand a few members of the GB have resigned from the GB/quit the GB/decided to remain silent or dormant, thus making it all the more convenient for Gen Satbir Singh to take unilateral decisions. For Members of GB to resign or quit or remain silent in the face of patently unacceptable behavior by Gen Satbir Singh, the Chairman IESM, not only amounts to willful abdication of responsibility; but also amounts to encouraging him to behave as such. There is no question of any member of the GB resigning or quitting till elections are held in the next AGM.
5. In the light of above, I appeal to Hon’ble Members of the GB (incl those who claim to have resigned/quit/remaining silent/dormant) to ask Gen Satbir Singh, the Chairman and Gp Capt VK Gandhi, the Gen Secy to convene a meeting of the GB at the earliest, to discuss the following and take appropriate decisions:
(a) Unilateral decision in calling for recommencement of RFFJ at Jantar Mantar by Gen Satbir Singh; and to countermand such decisions taken without the approval of the GB.
(b) Desirability of Gen Satbir Singh, being Chief Patron of Fauji Janata Party, while being Chairman IESM, in violation of accepted principle or norm of keeping IESM, apolitical.
(c) The very fact that Gen Satbir Singh has put out an Appeal requesting for Donations to Fauji Janata Party, is indicative of his being part & parcel of Fauji Janata Party.
(d) Gen Satbir Singh needs to be told categorically that he can either continue as Chairman IESM or be Chief Patron of FJP; and that he cannot be both at the same time. In case he wishes to take active part in FJP, he must step down as Chairman IESM.
(e) I am given to understand that Gp Capt VK Gandhi and Wg Cdr CK Sharma have since resigned from their posts as Gen Secy and Treasurer. This is just NOT acceptable. Office bearers like the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Gen Secy and Treasurer can resign and their resignation can be accepted only after they have properly handed over their charge to a replacement approved by the GB. For the sake of continuity, it is normally the Dy Gen Secy who takes over as the Gen Secy; and it is the Joint Treasurer who takes over as the Treasurer. And, all such handing/taking over notes must be countersigned by the Chairman and Vice Chairman and as many members of the Governing Body, as possible. One must remember that when it comes to money, IESM is not handling money in thousands; but in Lakhs. Transparency in all dealings and money matters must be ensured.
(f) It is high time we took back our Medals and restored them to Ex-Servicemen concerned. It is the moral responsibility of Veterans like us on who’s call thousands of Veterans deposited their Medals without a murmur. Taking back the Medals and restoring them to their owners is a herculean task; and the same calls for utmost care & commitment.
6. You may consider inviting past GB Members like Col TN Raman from Tamil Nadu; and Gp Capt Suhas Phatak from Maharashtra to be observers during the GB meeting convened to discuss points outlined in Para 5 above.
7. I also appeal to Hon’ble Members of the GB (incl those who claim to have resigned/quit/remaining silent/dormant) to ask Gen Satbir Singh, the Chairman and Gp Capt VK Gandhi, the Gen Secy to convene an AGM to take stock of the achievements of IESM since the last AGM in 2014; and, revamp IESM by electing a fresh set of office bearers; and also a working Group to be based at Delhi, ie. NCR.
8. Respected Sirs, please bear in mind that you cannot afford to fool around with an Org in which thousands of Ex-Servicemen & their families have reposed their faith; and an Org to which Ex-Servicemen & their families have donated Lakhs & Lakhs of Rupees. You have a bounden duty to uphold the good name of IESM, which has been earned with sweat & blood.
Regards,
Col Rajan
A founder member of IESM
Bangalore, 9449043770
27 Oct 2016
Colonelrajan Srinivas —-colonelrajan44@gmail.com>