Govt to force Indian Army Chief to take early retirement?

New Delhi, Mar 29: Indian Army Chief General VK Singh likely to be asked to go for a holiday till he retires. According to sources, the UPA government may ask General Singh to go on leave till May 31, the scheduled date when the general retires.

Government sources on Thursday, Mar 29 informed that neither the Union Defence Minister AK Antony nor opposition parties want VK Singh to be sacked; thus it (asking the general to go on leave) could be the government's trick to avoid any undesirable situation. If sources are to be believed, then the general will get an early 'retirement'.

After Gen Singh claimed to have been offered a bribe to clear the procurement of substandard Tatra trucks for the Army, the Congress now fears that the CBI probe will reach Rajiv Gandhi, after all it was he who chose Tatra trucks for the Army in a deal signed in 1986. He was the then Prime Minister and Defence Minister. Rajiv Rishi, a close friend of Rajiv Gandhi and businessman was the person who got the deal to purchase the high-technology Tatra trucks.

According to media reports, the confidential letter to PMO by Army Chief had explained several shortcomings in the country’s defence related procurements, obsolete air defence, bureaucratic hassles and shortage of ammunition and critical weaponry required to safeguard the country in the event of a war.

The leakage of the confidential letter to PMO and bribery allegation made by Army Chief Gen VK Singh has become major a embarrassment to the Congress-led UPA government, which is why govt has ordered CBI probe into the bribery allegations by General VK Singh claiming that he was offered a bribe for clearing sub-standard vehicles for the Army.

OneIndia News