Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Sept 24: As the controversy raged over former Army chief Gen VK Singh’s remarks that certain Ministers in Jammu and Kashmir Government were paid by the Army, all 10 present and six former Ministers of National Conference today challenged Gen Singh to either substantiate his statement with proof or get ready to face legal course of action.
The surprise move by the ruling National Conference came a day after Gen Singh told a news channel initially that all Ministers in Jammu and Kashmir but later amending his statement that certain Ministers were paid by the Army.
Higher Education Minister and veteran National Conference leader Mohammad Akbar Lone told the Excelsior that all 10 sitting NC Minister and six former Ministers, who were in the office from 2009 to January 2013, have issued a signed written statement challenging Gen VK Singh to name the Ministers, who have been paid by the Army.
“We have neither taken any money from the Army nor we will take such money in future. The allegations are far from truth. The General should give names of the Minister with proof to whom he had paid the money or he should be prepared to face the legal consequences,’’ Mr Lone said.
The statement signed by present and former Ministers said: “in light of the allegations made by Gen VK Singh (Retired Army chief), we strongly demand that the former Army chief should come out with names of all alleged recipients of money from the Army.
“We have never ever compromised integrity of the offices we have held and have never received any money from the Army as alleged by the General’’.
Describing Gen Singh’s generalized remarks as “absurd and far from truth’’, the sitting and former Ministers said: “if the former Army chief didn’t come out with facts we will deem his accusations and allegations as defamatory made with ‘malafide and malicious intent’ and, therefore, we will be compelled to take legal course of action’’.
The sitting NC Ministers, who have signed the statement, included Abdul Rahim Rather (Finance and Ladakh Affairs), Ali Mohammad Sagar (Rural Development and Panchayati Raj), Mohammad Akbar Lone (Higher Education), Mian Altaf (Forests), Ajay Sadhotra (Planning and Development), Choudhary Ramzan (Transport and CAPD), Sakina Itoo (Social Welfare), Saifullah Mir (Law and Parliamentary Affairs), all Cabinet rank, Feroz Khan, Minister of State for Science and Technology and Information (Independent Charge) and Nazir Ahmad Khan Gurezi, Minister of State for Animal and Sheep Husbandry (Independent Charge).
Six former Ministers, who were also signatory to the statement, were Surjit Singh Slathia, Qamar Ali Akhoon, Abdul Gani Malik, Aga Mehdi Ruhullah, Javed Ahmad Dar and Nasir Aslam Wani. They were Ministers from 2009 to January 2013 before they were dropped in the reshuffle of Ministry.
However, the Congress Ministers in the Alliance Government have not come out with any such statement or rebuttal to Gen Singh’s allegations.
Only Medical Education Minister Taj Mohi-ud-Din has described the charges as baseless and dared the former Army chief to name the Ministers whom the Army had paid the money.
PTI adds from New Delhi:
Facing fire over his remarks that Ministers in Jammu and Kashmir were given money by the Army, former Army chief Gen V K Singh today sought to do damage control by saying it was not a bribe but the Centre expressed its willingness to order a probe.
The controversial general, who stepped down as Army chief in May last year, has created a political storm with his statements saying that Ministers in the trouble-torn state had been paid by the Army since independence, prompting sharp reaction from National Conference and the Congress which are ruling the state.
He called a press conference at Gurgaon on the outskirts of the capital, at which he appeared to soften his allegations by saying that the payments were not for the personal use of the ministers but for promoting goodwill among the people. At the same time, he maintained he had not committed any mistakes in making the allegations.
“I did not commit any mistake. When I had said some politicians were given money, it was not meant for their personal purpose or political purpose. It was not for lining their pockets or for bribe. If somebody says that any minister was given a bribe, it is totally wrong.
“It was meant solely for stability…To win hearts and minds of people, to wean people away from separatist activities under the overall umbrella of sadbhavna (harmony),” he said.
Kashmir’s mainstream leaders, including two Union Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi Azad, both former Chief Ministers of the State, reacted with anger to Singh’s allegations.
Reacting to Singh’s yesterday’s statement, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said Government was ready to probe if beneficiaries were identified.
“V K Singh should name politicians. He should reveal the names (of those to whom money was allegedly paid). If details are given, we can investigate,” he said.
Farooq Abdullah demanded a CBI probe into the allegations made by Singh.
“I think time has come when a CBI inquiry should be held immediately to see what is the funding that the Army has done and who are the people that received these funds and how these funds have been utilised,” he said.
Another former Chief Minister and Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad expressed shock over Singh’s statement.
“I think it’s a very, very terrible statement that he has made. It must be investigated. The Army has nothing to do with funding of political parties. They should never do this. The Army should be kept apolitical,” said Azad.
“And if he has done that, he has done something extremely wrong.”
Azad said he was shocked to hear about Singh’s remark since he himself has been a Chief Minister of J and K.
Gen Singh claimed activities such as paying money to Ministers were carried out by the Army in many areas and not limited to Jammu and Kashmir. He, however, refused to name anyone.
He said the “leakage” of an Army inquiry report on the functioning of the controversial Technical Support Division (TSD) set up by him amounted to treason and rejected the contention that the intelligence unit was his “private Army”.
Singh suspected that the report was “leaked” and a controversy is being sought to be created in order to cover up certain “burning issues”.
“After the report surfaced, a number of burning issues were pushed to the background. Was this not a reason behind leaking the report…All this was done deliberately to create a smokescreen and divert the attention of the people,” he alleged.
Slamming those who “leaked” the report about the functioning of the intelligence unit, he said “if we discuss the functioning of the intelligence agencies in public, then it is treason. It should be probed how this report was being leaked and action should be taken against persons who have attempted to make such a leak. This is treason.”
Gen Singh said such activities cannot be carried out while being in uniform, therefore intelligence units carry out such tasks.
“Some people who say that the unit was my private Army should discard such ideas. This unit was functioning under the DG, Military Intelligence. I am not here to micromanage things. I commanded 12 lakh men.”
He also claimed that had the unit not been disbanded the recent incidents along the borders would not have taken place. “This is my claim.”
Congress spokesperson P C Chacko said “irresponsible” statements from Singh brought “disgrace” to the Army.
“What he has said, I do not think he himself can prove it,” Chacko said, adding, “Even a retired general is a general. He should not be making such statements.”
Union Minister Rajiv Shukla said Singh’s remark was not in national interest and that persons, who have held such high positions like Army chief, should not make such statements after retirement without any substance.
Shinde told reporters that he has not received any communication from the Government or anyone else demanding a CBI inquiry into Singh’s statement on Army payments.
“I have not yet received any official communication from the Jammu and Kashmir Government or any one else demanding a CBI inquiry into the V K Singh issue. I am yet to get details of the allegations made by V K Singh on payments made to Jammu and Kashmir Ministers,” he said.
Minister of State for Home RPN Singh said the V K Singh issue was a matter of national security and it could not be discussed in public.
“Anyone who has served in the Army and that too in such a top post should not be talking like this. There should be restraint,” he said.
Asked whether any inquiry will be ordered by the Home Ministry, RPN Singh said the Army and the Ministry of Defence will look into it.
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