Then, I must refer to specific points made by some of the hon. Members. I would like to make a mention of the point made by my hon. friend, Shri Mani, with which he started the discussion. He made a reference to the propaganda of Chinese radio about discrimination between the officers and the Jawans. I am afraid Mr. Mani appears to be the first victim of the efforts at indoctrination by Chinese propaganda. I hope he is not. I find it was exactly the line of approach that the Chinese took about indoctrinating our prisoners of war. Please do not have that idea, as if all their officers and all their Jawans are treated equally’. They partially try to put up a drama like that and they created some sort of feelings in some of our people. But we do not deserve that sort of criticism. Certainly, we did inherit some of the traditions of the British Army. I may tell you that the present Generalship, the present leadership at Army Headquarters is very much aware of this problem. They have issued instructions to all ‘the officers to create a new pattern of relationship between the officers and others in the Army which will he consistent with democratic traditions. I entirely agree with the proposition that it is very essential. We need not learn this lesson from Chinese propaganda. This is something which is within us. These new traditions have to he laid down by our own people and it is being done. Series of instructions have been sent saying how this should happen.
We know that particularly in the field it is this quality of leadership that matters most. What is the quality of leadership ? What is the test of leadership ? The test of leadership is that it must command loyalty in a crisis. When there is no crisis it is very easy to give loyalty, but it is in a crisis, really’ speaking, that loyalty is tested. And that quality which commands loyalty in a crisis is called leadership. May’ I tell you that this quality, .of leadership is not a one-way traffic ? It is a two-way traffic. As the leader expects loyalty from his followers, the followers also must have loyalty from their leaders When they arc under fire, the gun or the bullet does not make ants distinction between a leader and his follower. Whether he is a soldier or a commander it treats everybody equally. It is that feeling of fellowship, comraderie, which really speaking creates the fighting quality which is essential for any army. From this point of view, from this attitude, instructions have been issued. These things are not done overnight. Sometimes old habits die hard, as they say. Particularly with the present Chief of Army Staff, I have had many discussions on this point and I think he is very particular to see that this new attitude is adopted as regards the relationship between the Army officers and the Jawans.
The other point that was made by Mr. Mani is about the slant. He said some of our old Generals were in Korea. There was really speaking some idea about what China wanted to do, Chinese tactics, etc. Certainly theoretical knowledge with the leaders has been there. When I used the words `not having the slant of China taking an offensive against India’ it had certainly political significance. If Mr. Mani would read that sentence again in the sense in which I have used it, possibly he will not put me that question that “ General Thimayya was in Korea; how is it that you have not got any idea of what was happening there ? “.
