Do We Really Care For Our Heroes?

A NSG Commando Humiliated in Public:

30 April 2009:

After every commando operation like the one during 26/11 & akshardhaam or after a war with Pakistan,you find loads of netas in the news channels praising the great soldiers who have laid down their lives to protect us, to protect their motherland & to protect the sovereignty of India.But do we really care for them?

Today a news report in CNN-IBN showed how a NSG commando was humiliated in public,the man whose colleagues gave up their lives in many commando operations, the most recent one being the 26/11 Mumbai attack.The video report showed the Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav shouting at & scolding a NSG commando in front of the media cameras just because the gun which the soldier was holding accidentally touched the minister when the reporters created a rush.

Does a man who protects Mr.Lalu Prasad Yadav keeping his own life at stake deserve such a treatment? We the people of India are guilty for this because we have forced the commando to protect such a man who doesn't understand the value of the NSG soldiers.We have forced him to do this 'dirty job' by electing such a neta & making him the minister in the largest democracy.

We watch the Bollywood movies in which our favourite stars don the army uniform & deliver a 'blood-boiling' speech on patriotism, sitting in the comforts of a multiplex & enjoying the coolness of the centralised air-conditioner while our real jawans are sweating it out under the hot sun or bearing the chilling cold of the Himalayas to protect you, me, and these heartless,selfish politicians.

What do these jawans get in return for all their efforts? Are they keeping their lives at stake to get humiliated in public? Have you ever thought, why so many of these jawans die everyday? Have you ever tried to find out if they are equipped with quality weapons & safety equipments? While some of the top armies in the world like the U.S Army & even China in the recent past have upgraded its force & equipped its army with latest light-weight & quality bulletproof jackets,our jawans still carry the old & heavy ones.Indian Airforce for a long time had to use the MiG-21,MiG-23 & MiG-27 as their frontline fighters which are very much prone to crashes & other accidents, while even Pakistan had a better F-16.

But even though they are not equipped well,they have defended their motherland very well & are still doing so.But what are we giving them in return?

1.They are humiliated in public.

2.The death sentence against terrorists like Afzal Guru is not executed just because the ruling party thinks they will gain some extra votes in the elections,conveniantly forgetting the efforts of the commandos.

3.The red corner notice against the main accused in the bofors gun scam is removed just to protect the face of another neta,again forgetting the jawans.

4.When a larger share in the budget is alloted to the defence sector, it is questioned by some political parties.

5.The defence personels had to fight hard to get an equal pay package with their civilian counterparts.

If a Bollywood star or an Indian cricketer is ill-treated in such a way, then Indian fans come out in millions to protest(Eg:Ganguly-Chappell issue,Buchanan issue,Harbhajan-Symonds racial row.......).But what have we done when a real hero, a NSG commando is treated so badly.If you really care for them, then come out of your homes & make your voice heard.People like Lalu Prasad Yadav do not deserve the security that they are enjoying.There is no use chanting "Jai Jawan" unless we really respect and care for our heroes.