A Bold Idea: Why Five Years of Military Service Should Be Required to Contest Elections

Just compare, side by side, two pictures: that of India’s Parliament House and that of an advance military frontline of the country (such as the Siachen Glacier or Ladakh’s Galwan Valley).

In the first picture, there is a 19- or 20-year-old soldier. He is the son of an impoverished farmer or labourer. In a temperature of minus forty degrees, amidst icy blizzards, carrying thirty kilograms of ammunition on his chest, he stands guard on the nation’s border. He has neither a palatial bungalow nor any special privileges; he receives a mere ₹35,000 to ₹40,000 a month. He knows that the very next moment, an enemy sniper’s bullet could pierce his chest, yet chanting ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ (Victory to Mother India), he stands his ground with a smile.

Now look at the second picture. Here are the politicians sitting in the air-conditioned chambers of Parliament and legislative assemblies. Expensive silk kurtas, dozens of police escort vehicles ahead and behind, free air travel, free medical treatment, and assets worth crores! Most of these leaders have never worked for even an hour in the scorching sun in their entire lives, have never held a shovel or a rifle in their hands, nor have they ever heard the whistle of a bullet fired on a battlefield.

Yet the absolute power to wage war, broker peace treaties, allocate the nation’s budget, and decide the fate of soldiers’ lives rests in the hands of these very politicians!

In his thought-provoking book ‘Anokha Bharat’ (Unique India), N. Singh presents a revolutionary and jarring idea that could transform the entire direction and state of Indian politics: Should the country not have a law stipulating that a person may contest elections to become a Member of Parliament (MP), Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), or Minister only if they have honestly completed a minimum of five years of rigorous service in the nation’s armed forces, paramilitary forces, or border security?

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The Philosophical and Practical Necessity of This Revolutionary Prerequisite

This idea is no flight of fancy; in countries such as Israel, South Korea, Switzerland, and ancient Sparta, national service has been mandatory for every citizen and leader.

If five years of military service were made mandatory to contest elections in India, the following miraculous reforms would take place in politics:

1. Complete Elimination of Criminals, Mafias, and Middlemen: Today, over 40% of the members of Parliament and state legislative assemblies face serious criminal charges of murder, kidnapping, extortion, and scams. If five years of rigorous disciplinary training in the military were made mandatory, no criminal or thug would dare step into politics!
2. An End to Casteism and Communalism: In a military regiment or barracks, there is no caste or religion. There, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Brahmin, and Dalit sit together to eat from the same plate and lay down their lives for one another. A young person who returns after serving five years in the army will never incite riots in the name of caste or religion just to win an election!
3. A Genuine Realisation of the Pain of the Soldier and the Farmer: When the leader himself lives in bunkers, eats combat rations, and patrols the borders, only then will he realise that the nation’s true security is built not on rhetoric, but on sacrifice and sweat.

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Present Political Leadership vs. Military-Trained Leadership

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The Bitter Truth from the Book: N. Singh’s Open Proposal

Author N. Singh writes in the chapter ‘Purity in Politics and the Armed Forces’ of his book ‘Anokha Bharat’:

“Until the policymakers of the country stand guard for a night in minus forty-degree temperatures at the border, they will understand neither the worth of the nation nor the value of the sweat shed by the soldier and the farmer. Today, our politics is filled with people who deliver the loftiest speeches on nationalism, but the moment a crisis befalls the country, they whisk their children away to London and America! If you truly wish to govern this country, if you wish to be the arbiters of India’s destiny, then first stand guard with a rifle on the nation’s frontiers for five years! If you cannot sweat for the country for five years, you have no moral right to rule over this nation!”
— N. Singh (Anokha Bharat, pp. 122–123)

The author further challenges:

“This single prerequisite will throw out of Indian politics all those white-collar looters, contractors, and dynastic princes who, devoid of any merit, merely sit on their fathers’ seats and plunder the nation.”
— (Anokha Bharat, p. 126)

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Policy Framework of This Proposal (Implementation Framework)

1. Amendment to Articles 84 and 173 of the Constitution: Among the minimum qualifications for membership of Parliament and state legislative assemblies, “at least 5 years of regular military/paramilitary or frontier civil defence service” should be added as a mandatory eligibility criterion.
2. Special National Leadership Corps: For young people aspiring to enter politics and public policy, a special 5-year corps should be established under the armed forces, where they receive rigorous training in defence, disaster management, rural development, and frontier security.
3. Equal Opportunities for Women and Persons with Disabilities: For citizens who cannot serve on the frontline due to physical reasons, there should be an option for 5 years of service in cyber security, military medicine, logistics, and frontier education.
4. Mandatory Military Service for Politicians’ Children: For the children of all incumbent MPs, MLAs, and senior bureaucrats, this service should be made strictly mandatory before entering government jobs or politics.

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A Question for Reflection (The Book’s Message)

Do you want the reins of the country to remain in the hands of those who merely sit in air-conditioned rooms peddling nationalism, or in the hands of those who have shed their sweat and blood for the soil of this nation?

To gain a deep understanding of this boldest and most revolutionary vision for Indian democracy, this chapter from N. Singh’s acclaimed book ‘Anokha Bharat’ ought to be read by every youth and patriot.