New Delhi, Dec 3 (IANS) Members of parliament, including Bharatiya Janata Party’s Varun Gandhi, all part of a parliamentary committee on defence, Saturday got an opportunity to witness one of Indian Army’s largest war games in the Rajasthan desert close to the borders with Pakistan.
The army took the group of MPs, numbering nine, representing various parties in parliament to Rajasthan and gave them an opportunity to take a closer look at its capabilities to wage a quick, short war to bulldoze through enemy defences with use of its battle tanks such as Russian-origin T-90s and infantry combat vehicles such as the Russian BMP-II, along with 50,000 troops in the desert terrain.
But, the army’s original plan to have young MPs, including Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, for the exercise, did not materialise, as the defence ministry had shot down the proposal last month.
Called ‘Sudarshan Shakti’ and held under the aegis of the Pune-based Southern Army Command, the exercise is an effort to get the Bhopal-based 21 ‘Strike’ Corps, a potent battle arm of the Indian Army, fighting fit in winter conditions.
The exercise also witnessed participation of the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) combat planes, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles under the Gandhinagar-based South-Western Air Command, in support of the army troops and machines, and as part of its own exercise ‘Maha Gajraj’
‘The MPs, on arrival from Delhi, were taken to the exercise location where the Southern Army Commander Lt.Gen. A.K. Singh provided them an overview of the Southern theatre. The Strike Corps Commander, Lt.Gen. Sanjeev Langer apprised the MPs about the various aspects of the exercise. The MPs were then given a tour of the command and control set-up of the Sudarshan Chakra Corps, besides a glimpse of the hi-tech equipment on display,’ a defence ministry spokesperson from Jodhpur in Rajasthan said.
The MPs witnessed manoeuvres by the troops and tanks of Southern Army across a formidable obstacle in conjunction with the air force effort. The MPs also gained first-hand experience by visiting the operational tactical level units to understand the nuances of their operational level activities and interact with troops.
