People yearn for change, says Gen VK Singh

CHICAGO: India is set for a change at the helm because a vast majority of people want the change. Bogged down by scandals, corruption and declining moral values, people are fed up to the hilt and are yearning for better times.

The most important thing, said retired Indian Amy Chief of Staff General VK Singh, that is sought now may come from the top. But he emphasized what is more important is it has to come from the grassroots level to make the impact solid and permanent. It is with this end in view that a group of right minded Indians have banded together to seek the grassroots level changes sending their message direct to the people, cutting political and party lines.

Singh, with a group of like minded activists and with the blessings of Gandhian activist Anna Hazare, has launched Jantantra Morcha, a non-political group attempting to reach a consensus on 25 doable projects. The Morcha will touch base with all political groups and those who commit to their implementation, irrespective of their party affiliations, will get its support. It is in this context that the Morcha has announced supporting the candidacy of retired judge Santosh Hegde, seeking Parliamentary seat from Karnataka, he said.

Singh was in Chicago as part of his brief visit to USA and was talking to Indian news media at Mysore Woodland restaurant on Gandhi Marg in the city. He addressed a group of students and faculty members at the Kellogg School of Business at Evanston and he was interviewed on a variety of topics, including Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, rampant corruption, electoral challenges, dismal state of Indian politics, and the role of the armed forces. He distributed copies of his signed autobiography, released last October, titled “Courage and Conviction” to the press corps
He asserted that his group is for change but it is not supporting any particular candidate or a party. He refused to comment on Narendra Modi or BJP chance to head the government next year and merely observed that the people need a change and it is up to them to decide who should don the crown.

Singh’s Jantantra Morcha, patronized by veteran Hazare on January 31 last year, is a social reform movement which has begun to make a dent with the people at large. It traveled to hundreds of villages in North India and the response everywhere was “overwhelming”. Despite the absence of political campaigning, Singh spoke of their word-to-mouth rallies attracting 15K people waiting for 5-7 hours to hear the speakers. After such time-consuming public-funded mobile tours (yatra) across northwest and north India to awaken the masses, Singh now deems it more effective “to focus on consensus building among all the political parties on at least 17 points.”

However, only Mamata Banerjee, who heads the Trinamool Congress, has responded positively. Now that Lok Pal (ombudsman) Bill has been passed, the Morcha is looking to field a clean popular capable candidate that all other parties could support. Morcha initially would support two to four candidates per State to start with and then slowly broaden the base so that real democracy takes deep root and does not end when the elections get over.

Singh showed his displeasure with Aam Admi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal for his diatribe against Anna and antics of his party workers seeking to torpedo Morcha’s yatra in North Indian villages. He was also critical of lack of change in bureaucratic approach and colonial attitude displayed by the ruling junta which includes not only political leaders but also bureaucrats. Singh impressed all those present with his simplicity and sagacity, but doubts still lingered if he would succeed without a broad based organizational support.

Singh became the 26th Chief of Army Staff on 31 March 2010 and is the first commando to be promoted General. He also has the distinction of being the first serving Indian military chief to take the Government to court for miss-recording his date of birth resulting in early retirement.

Ramesh Soparawala
India Post News Service