The games the government plays and what ESM can do to avoid getting bowled out! by Kameshwar Pandey

Date: Monday, 13 July, 2009, 6:03 PM

Dear Sir,

Right at the beginning I must will congratulate and thank Sergeant Vasudevan for putting across his points of view so clearly and sincerely.

In my earlier email dated May 04, 2009 I had mentioned that the babus and the politicians have already divided the country in the name of cast, creed, religion, state, and this list is endless. They now want to play the same dirty game of divide and rule with the ESM community also. A game they learnt from the British and a game they have mastered. This has indeed been proven by the false and confused announcements made by the Finance Minister. As rightly said by our Chairman in a SITREP, we have been forever waiting for the detailed letter to come out from the Ministry of Finance. But that detailed official letter cum announcement has been as elusive as the rains this summer. All parts of the ESM community, officers and PBOR alike, are condemning this partial, ad hoc announcement made by the FM. I am of the strong opinion that all arms and all ranks of the Indian Military be it the Army, the Air Force or the Nave, be it officers or PBOR, be it serving or retired – we are all united and we will continue this mission until the victory is ours.

The government is fully aware of the fact that the planning and execution of IESM is way beyond their control and that IESM is growing faster than they could ever imagine. The only resort left for them was to divide us as officers and PBORs. The GoI should recognize and be grateful to the officer community especially the chairman IESM, for it is because of them this mission is still peaceful. The PBOR community is so full of anguish that if left uncontrolled/unguided they will not refrain from resorting to other means of making the deaf hear our voice. That said, I must underline the fact that this is a rather dangerous game the GoI is playing and it better be aware of the consequences of this.
In my opinion the very reason behind the fact that OROP has not been implanted in its true nature and spirit is the fact that each and every action/decision/step taken by the IESM leadership is being debated. This is a clear sign for the GoI that the ESM community is not united. The proverb “Too many cooks spoil the food” is so truly applicable to this situation. We must all understand that this too is like a war for justice and no war can ever be won if there are more than one orders given at the same time or if, on every decision, a committee or a consensus must be formed. Therefore my request to the entire ESM community is this:


Let us all be united in our thoughts, actions and words. That is the only way we can become a force strong enough to shake the high offices in New Delhi.

Let us all have faith in the IESM leadership. The chairman and the steering committee is what the Captain is to a boat or a Pilot to an airplane.

Let us not criticize others. Instead, do the best we can in our own capacities to help the mission become successful.

Once a decision has been taken, let us all own it– for better or for worse– understanding that the intent behind taking that decision was the success of the entire mission.

I thank you for taking the time to read this email message.
Yours truly,
Kameshwar Pandey
Sub Maj Hony Lt (Retd)