Why VK Singh does not regret saying #Presstitute

From Bangladesh to United States, India has been receiving appreciation for evacuating more than 6,000 people from strife torn Yemen. General VK Singh, minister of state, external affairs returned home Friday morning after supervising a very complex evacuation operation which saw the might of the nation come together – from Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking to King Salman of Saudi Arabia to the ministries of external affairs, defence, railways, shipping and several state governments acting in tandem as one unit.

But in midst of this, while the General received bouquets for the evacuation operations, he was in the eye of a storm for a statement made about comparing the evacuation operations and attending Pakistan National Day celebrations in New Delhi and finding the latter more exiting. And then calling a senior media person a "presstitute", added fuel to fire. 

I spoke to the General on his return from Djibouti and Sana’a. The General was combative and insisted he had said no wrong. 

He said if his sarcasm about the media finding attending Pakistan National Day more exciting was lost on some, he could do little about it. He also stood by his comment on calling "some in the media presstitutes", and insisted there was no question of either apology or even expressing regret. 

On the other hand the General perceives he has been targeted and bodies like the Press Council of India have failed at grievance redressal. The General says media needs internal scrutiny and stem the tide. 

Here is my interview with General VK Singh, MoS external affairs and former chief of the Army staff. 

Excerpts: 

Q. What was your biggest challenge during Op Rahat in Yemen?

A. I am happy the nation supported this mission. There were many challenges. There was a challenge of dealing with a number of countries... dealing with air traffic controls, channel open with Saudi Arabia where we were to take permission in time windows as time used to vary... the challenge of taking aircraft only during that time window and ensuring that people come and get their immigration done. It was interesting, challenging and it was satisfying to evacuate so many people. 

Q. Any anxious moments... we were told there was gunfire, tension, rebel forces, above all the conflict was on...


A. Conflict has been on. More towards the Southern part. In Aden, our ship could not dock. We had to get them out with smaller boats. There was street fighting going on at that time. Yesterday, there was an airstrike on, and when we asked permission we were told to turn back. Now 600 people were waiting at Sana'a, we were in the air. The first reaction of everybody was as airstrike was going on, let's go back. 

Q. What was your command decision as former Army chief, as MoS?


A. My decision was to go and take those 600 people out, and I think we were able to persuade them that look here get your fighters out of this place, we are landing. 

Q. You also evacuated a five-day-old baby... did your heart ever skip a beat?


A. It's not just a five-day-old baby but we rescued women in very advanced stages of pregnancy. Infact, initially I thought this lady was carrying something else and when I asked her, she said it was five-days-old. I said couldn't you go out of this country three months ago. They had no answer. The child was suffering from severe jaundice... I think it was a premature baby. We utilised the services of the hospital that has an Indian health advisor in Djibouti, named Dr Uma. She arranged for an incubator... yesterday Dr Uma came back with this baby and today we are trying to send her back to Djibouti... these are awkward movements, you don't expect people to be evacuating like this.

Q. Explain your role on ground zero?


A. When we were to start this operation we had to take permissions and this whole issue was taking its own time. The PM spoke to King of Saudi Arabia, and said "we will assist you". After this matter went to Royal Court, we were not given decisions. We were waiting on ground, we had the aircraft to fly in... there were no permissions coming in. It took quite a diplomatic effort to ensure we got the time windows. When we got the time window, we found we needed more aircraft so we got another aircraft and then we found immigration was a problem in Yemen... there was nothing functional... the systems had crashed... there was a large number of our people who were defaulters. Immigration officials were surprised that a man had come six years ago with a visit visa and was still around. All kinds of complicated cases. You need an exit visa to get out from there... you have to pay a certain amount of money... a large number of people said we don't have money, we haven't been paid... every day we used to encounter a new problem.

Q. How did you sort out these issues?


A. Being on ground zero helped in two ways. One, you could assist the situation correctly, you could take the decision, and secondly, you could raise the level to influence certain things that were happening. I decided to go to Sana'a to see how things are and decided to stay there for the night because the time window was not enough for the aircraft to come back. So I said I will stay there and it will give me a feel of what Sana'a is like and a military mind can better appreciate the situation... after this I went to Sana'a four more times... a stage had come in the last trip where everybody at the airport knew me... and it helps as there are certain decisions which have to be taken on the spot... which have to be implemented and if you are not there on ground, things will not come about. 

Q. United states saying thank you... Germany thanking you... so you have rescued people from 39 countries...


A. We are still rescuing as our warship has sailed to Aden... another ship which should have reached Hodeidah... I am expecting a very large contingent of foreigners again, especially SAARC countries, Bangaldeshis... it wasn't possible to airlift all these out as our priority is Indians first... Bangaldesh is close to my heart but there was no space... then to get their immigration done is a major problem. 

Q. The plane capacity was 180 and you authorised 240... wasn't that complicated or risking lives?


A. No, I will not talk about it. 

Q. What about the Pakistan High Commission comment?


A. People have to appreciate what is sarcasm and what is something else. If humour and sarcasm cannot be appreciated then people should not dish out muck on somebody else. 

Q. On Presstitute. Why use such a word?


A. I think a lot of people are only creating all kinds of things... it is a very valid word... written by somebody who is a well known writer. If you Google it you will find it... said it the last time I used it... what is being done that this particular section of media is hell bent on trying to confuse people that presstitue means prostitute... a presstitue is somebody whose pen is up for grabs... for some motive which is not journalistic... it has got nothing to do with other word. Why don't we take it that way? I can say paid media... it means the same thing.

Q. The complaint is that it is not a particular person or a section but the entire media is being tarred.


A. I don't think that is correct and if somebody is trying to spread this... I have always said this, not just now but every time I have come to the press that 90 per cent of the media is good media.