VK Singh: New Skipper of MDONER

[This was published in Dhaka Courier on 11 September 2014]

Political landscapes in Asia are getting clouded and vulnerable because of, inter alia, borders disputes leading to claims and counter-claims over the territories concerned by the competing states. Such geo-political scenario is now more acute between China and India in particular centering the Aurunachal Pradesh in the northeastern zone in India. Strategic and security experts both in China and India are on in a full swing to dig and discover or invent more and more avenues entailing deserving persons to face the challenges therein. Both sides seem to be aware of the crude reality that ‘Chair makes a man is indeed a mesmerizing saying and, without a reservation, more mesmerizing is when a chair gets illuminated, and starts sparkling and radiating because of the very holder of the chair’. In Indian perspective, so far seven heavy weights held the office of the Minister of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDONER), starting from 2001 to present 2014, in India. In fact, MDONER was accorded the status of a full-fledged ministry in May 2004. But the appointment of state Minister for External Affairs General (Dr.) Vijay Kumar (VK) Singh, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, former chief of army of India, to the federal Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDONER) is rather special having its own glamour, significance and radiation predominantly for the reasons as follows:

*He has vast knowledge and experience, strategic and/or military, about the north eastern zone since he was also the Commander of the Eastern Command of Indian army; The Eastern Command has a dual role to play. On one hand, it is in charge of defences along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in states like Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh while on the other; it is involved in Counter-Insurgency operations in the North East. It is viewed as the only Command in the country perpetually engaged in armed conflict since Independence.

*He is the first from the armed forces chosen as state minister for foreign affairs concurrently with the portfolio of the Minister of MDONER. A good judgment of wrapping and blending between political landscapes and military landscapes is likely to develop in the context of time, space and dimension;

*While in army he held strong belief in formulating and implementing ‘Proactive defense strategy’—a kind of polish interpretation of cold start doctrine unveiled in 2004—primarily against Pakistan extending to China in course of time, if possible. Cold Start is a military doctrine developed by the Indian Armed Forces for use in a possible war with Pakistan. It involves the various branches of India's military conducting offensive operations as part of unified battle groups The Cold Start doctrine is intended to allow India's conventional forces to perform holding attacks in order to prevent a nuclear retaliation from Pakistan in case of a conflict. It is also leveled as Two-Front War Doctrine since this will be the mainstay of India's New War Doctrine, based on the reality that India should expect and be prepared to effectively meet simultaneous threats from China on the Northern borders and Pakistan on the Western borders.

This doctrine is one step forward to Sundarji doctrine (after the name of. General Krishnaswamy Sundarji who was India's Chief of Army staff from 1986 to 1988). The Sundarji Doctrine was made up of seven defensive "holding corps" of the Indian Army and deployed near the Pakistani border. Possessing limited offensive power, the holding corps' primary responsibility was to check a Pakistani advance. India's offensive potency was derived from the "strike corps," which was made up of a mechanized infantry and extensive artillery support. Unlike the holding corps that was deployed close to the border, the strike corps was based in central India, a significant distance from the international border. In a war, after the holding corps halted a Pakistani attack, the strike corps would counterattack, penetrating deep into Pakistani territory to destroy the Pakistan Army's own strike corps through 'deep sledgehammer blows' in a high-intensity battle of attrition. In January 2011, while talking to the media in the run-up to Army Day, Army chief General V K Singh came closer than any other government official, while spelling out the widely speculated Indian war doctrine popularly referred to as Cold Start. "There is nothing like Cold Start. But we have a 'proactive strategy' which takes steps in a proactive manner so that we can achieve what our doctrines and strategies," he said. From these reality and understanding it is clear that as former chief of army, his strategic and military vision and mission are more forward-looking and comprehensive and such stocks may be  added source and resource both for the defence policy and foreign policy of India;

* He seems to be recalcitrant, argumentative and hardnosed on his own stand under the circumstances, approving or not. Even in the face of so many controversies that clouded him from time to time, he has, interestingly enough, earned a profile of being widely recognized and respected for his honesty, commitment, and integrity and towering personality. He raised the head and voice against corruption and mal-administration and never allowed hesitation or suffocation to initiate herculean drives for clean administration even giving birth to critics and back-biters within and without his domain of jurisdiction. He is, perhaps, continuing on the same wave. His hatred for sycophancy, cronyism and philistinism plus adherence to the policy ‘India should focus on innovation, not outsourcing’ made him more reliable and dependable for a free and fair India;

*Recalling few words as follows--what VK Singh is--- from his stock can hardly go without being seen in this context:

‘I don't want to be,   A wealthy man, Nor I want to be, A working man/I want to be, A great soldier, Fighting on the front, with a gun on my shoulder/I want to die for, My great, beloved nation, And for my enemy, I shall have no compassion/I want to let the Chinese know, That Indians can die, For their Motherland’.

~ Gen VK Singh as a Std. VIII Student (http://generalvksingh.info/home/anti-corruption/gen-vk-singh-is-a-hero)

Here attention needs to be paid and concentrated in full to the verity that VK Singh, from the very understanding of life and reality, became aware exceedingly of the mindset of Chinese leaders about border disputes leading to conflicts or war with India in the end. He should better be placed in the rank of those who cherish and nurse ‘India doctrine’, Monroe doctrine in Indian perspective, to turn India gradually into a global power. His well-written book ‘Courage and Conviction: An Autobiography’ bears testimonies of such spirit and persistence.

*He is a statesman from the standpoints of exercises of art of administration from various positions in army including that of the chief of army of India, but he is yet to be a politician after the definitions and exercises of politics being allied to a political party. His appointment unfolds Modi-led BJP administration’s veiled vision and mission to deal with the matters related to security in particular in the north eastern zone. Further observation is that he has golden opportunity to play role of diverse natures as state minister for external affairs being very close to Prime Minister Modi given that external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj is not within the hemisphere of Modi’s entire confidence because of her having been allied with Advani in BJP politics who is at present almost a dead horse in the politics of BJP.

*Operationally speaking, the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDONER) is a Government of India ministry, established in September 2001, which functions as the nodal Department of the Central Government to deal with matters related to the socio-economic development of the eight States of Northeast India, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim. It acts as a facilitator between the Central Ministries/ Departments and the State Governments of the North Eastern Region including Sikkim in the economic development including removal of infrastructural bottlenecks, provision of basic minimum services, creating an environment for private investment and to remove impediments to lasting peace and security in the North Eastern Region including, Sikkim.

Moreover, Vision 2020 document for the Development of North Eastern Region (MDONER) prepared in July, 2008 has laid down goals, identified challenges and suggested implementation strategies for comprehensive development in various sectors to ensure peace and prosperity of the region. It provides roadmap to all stakeholders such as line Ministries of Union Government, Planning Commission, North Eastern Council and State Governments for formulation of integrated plan for development of North Eastern Region.

*Not a single word has been incorporated in the charter of MDONER about the security in the zone vis-à-vis threats from China or Myanmar; although for its vision 2020 secure and peaceful environment is a condition precedent. Indian states bordering China are Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh  Of them states in the northeast bordering China are Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.  Aurunachal Pradesh is the largest among all the North- East States considering its vast area comprising of 83743 Sq. K.Ms. The State is having a long international border with Bhutan in the West covering 160 K.Ms, China in the north and north-east covering 1030 K.Ms and Myanmar in the east covering 440 K.Ms. the neighboring states of Assam in the south and Nagaland in the east and south east are in the border. Shiliguri Corridor at the connecting point of West Bengal and Aurunachal Pradesh is the only link between the mainland of India and the states in the northeastern states. Sikkim is bordered by Nepal to the west, China's Tibet Autonomous Region to the north and east, and Bhutan to the east and  Indian state of West Bengal lies to the south. Hence, Sikkim has to be connected with the rest of the northeast through West Bengal. Alongside other considerations, militarily and strategically these borders are very important for India as a whole;

*Neither Nepal nor Bhutan (mostly India-dominated states) seems to be a threat to India. There is also no perceptible threat from Myanmar, the tested bordering ally of China. It is China that’s the concern and from this standpoint India’s policy here mainly originates and revolves just about China. This happened in 1962 and the recently released vertical map of China, an update of its national map, shows that Aurunachal Pradesh as a part of China. Therefore, tension and phobia both have started running and escalating once more. Mobilization and deployment of armed forces probably in line with vision and mission of ‘Cold Star Doctrine, which in the words of VK Singh ‘Proactive defence strategy’, along the borders are on noticeably. India’s further phobia comes from Myanmar in the sense that China has closer ties with Myanmar and India has logic of phobia that in case of a war with Myanmar, China shall stand by Myanmar. Myanmar shares 1000-mile-long border with four Northeast Indian states: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur without any considerable disputes leading to conflict.

It serves as its gateway to the other 10-member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

China has sufficient opportunities to play taking, what's more, strategic note of ‘Chumbi Valley’ located in Tibet at the intersection of India (Sikkim), Bhutan and China (Tibet) in the Himalayas. Two main passes between India and China open up here: the Nathu La Pass and Jelep La Pass. Administratively, the valley is in Yadong County of the Tibetan Autonomous Region. India’s concern runs very high because in November 2007, Chinese forces intruded into Bhutanese territory and dismantled several unmanned posts near the Chumbi valley, distorting the Sino-Bhutanese border near Sikkim. The move had alarmed New Delhi because it brought the Chinese forces within a few kilometres of the Siliguri Corridor or Chicken’s Neck, which connects the rest of India with the Northeast and Nepal with Bhutan.

Therefore, apart from the go-ahead leadership for pushing forward vision 2020 in the north-eastern states, Prime Minister Naredra Modi’s picking of VK Singh as state minister for external affairs with a further portfolio of Union Minister (Independent charge) of the Development of North Eastern Region (MDONER) carries weight and importance to the highest order. Keen observers, strategic and/or political, hold in a firm mood and mode without a shade of doubt that VK Singh is a silver lining as new skipper for the most part in the light of insurgencies within and India’s border disputes leading to possible conflict with China in the zone. Let us wait and see what actually takes place finally. Next focus shall be on ‘Bangladesh-US Relations?