Page 185 - Leadership in the Indian Army

‘In the Bible, it is written that God said, “Let there be light, and there was
light.” You think that by saying “Let there be war,” there can be a war? Are
you ready for a war? I am not.’

The Prime Minister did not seem to be very pleased and there was a scowl
on her face. Sam went on to explain the reasons for his reluctance to go to
war with Pakistan immediately. In a few weeks, the monsoon would set in,
making the ground unsuitable for operations as East Pakistan had a number
of rivers, which were prone to flooding. All movement would have to be on
roads, which could be blocked. The Air Force would not be able to support
the ground troops due to bad weather. The armoured division was in Jhansi

and one of the infantry divisions in Secunderabad. Moving them to the East
would require time as well as all available road and rail space. The wheat
crop was being harvested and movement of foodgrains would be adversely
affected. Turning towards the Agriculture Minister, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed,
Sam said, ‘If there is a famine, people will blame you, not me.’
The Agriculture Minister squirmed in his seat. Sam then turned to the

Finance Minister, Y.B. Chavan, and said, ‘My armoured division has only
12 tanks which are operational. You know why? Because whenever we
asked you for funds, you said you had no money.’
Sam advised postponement of the operations till the winter months. This
would give him enough time to build up the infrastructure required for
large-scale operations in the East. The government would also get enough
time to garner international support through diplomatic channels, so that

other countries did not interfere or extend military assistance to Pakistan.
During winter the northern passes would be blocked with snow, eliminating
the threat of intervention by the Chinese. Most members of the Cabinet
seemed to see the logic of his arguments and nodded their heads, though
Indira Gandhi seemed to be somewhat unhappy.
Finally, Sam addressed the Prime Minister herself. ‘As your Army Chief,

it is my duty to put the facts before you. If your father had me as the Army
Chief in 1962 instead of General Thapar, and he had told me to throw the
Chinese out, I would have said the same thing and he would not have been
shamed the way he was. If you still want me to go ahead, I will. But I
guarantee you a one hundred per cent defeat. Now tell me what you want
me to do.’
There was a stunned silence. Then the Defence Minister, Babu Jagjiwan

Ram, said, ‘Shyam,’—he always pronounced Sam as Shyam, a popular