BJP & Congress manifestos offer a security policy high on emotions, low on substance.

The Print
April 11, 2019

India is in the middle of an election campaign driven by the issue of ‘national security’, especially as it comes after the Pulwama attack and the Balakot air strikes. So, there were a lot of expectations that the political manifestos of the Congress and the BJP would refer to the issue with an improved mindset. But both parties’ manifestos lack a holistic approach to national security, settling instead for a simple ‘to-do’ list which has been our bane in the past.

The manifestos mirror what India’s strategic community unanimously says: that India does not have a formal national security vision, that it lacks a coherent strategy, and that we go about managing national security affairs from ‘crisis to crisis’.

India needs radical reforms — with respect to higher defence management, integration of the three services, creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff, and restructuring/ reorganisation of the armed forces. Keeping in mind how modernisation of the armed forces has been at a virtual standstill for the last 20 years, here’s a critical evaluation of the core issues that need to be addressed by India’s political class.

Higher defence management
Reforms in higher defence management are most critical because without a cohesive vision and strategy, the matter of national security remains rudderless. The Congress proposes to provide statutory basis to the National Security Council (NSC) and the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA); define their powers and functions under the law; streamline their functioning; and make them accountable to Parliament. It also proposes to make the National Security Advisory Board a permanent statutory body to advise the NSC and the government. This is an urgently required reform.

The BJP manifesto is conspicuously silent on the subject and has so far allowed these bodies to function in an ad hoc manner, concentrating power in the hands of the NSA.

National security vision & strategy
Unfortunately, both manifestos remain silent on the urgent need for a strategic review to formulate a comprehensive National Security Strategy, which logically should be the basis of all strategic defence planning. The Congress manifesto vaguely mentions that national security is dependent on a “sound defence policy, a sound foreign policy and sound leadership” without elaborating much on what this ‘sound’ policy entails.

The BJP mentions, “Our security doctrine will be guided by our national security interest only. This is exemplified by the surgical strikes and the air strikes carried out recently.” It further talks about ‘zero tolerance’ against terrorism and extremism, and continuing the policy of ‘giving a free hand’ to the security forces in combating terrorism.


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