Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 8: Former Army chief Gen VK Singh, who had triggered a controversy after his remarks over alleged pay-offs to Jammu and Kashmir Ministers by the Army has to appear before the Privilege Committee of the Legislative Council tomorrow at 11.30 am but hasn’t reached here till late tonight.
Official sources said Privilege Committee of the Legislative Council headed by former Minister and Congress MLC Jugal Kishore Sharma had on December 8 called Gen (Retired) VK Singh to appear before it at 11.30 am on January 9.
The Privilege Committee had called Gen Singh after acting on a privilege motion moved against him by NC MLCs including Ajay Sadhotra, Minister for Planning and Development, Devender Singh Rana, provincial president of NC and former Political Advisor to Chief Minister and Khalid Najeeb Suhrawardhy, former Minister of State for Home.
As per the summons, Gen Singh had to appear before the Privilege Committee of the Upper Houses headed by Congress leader Jugal Kishore Sharma and comprising Devender Singh Rana, Ravinder Kumar Sharma, Ghulam Nabi Monga, Ali Mohammad Dar and Showkat Hussain Ganai, all MLCs.
Jugal, Ravinder and Monga belonged to Congress while Rana, Dar and Ganai were NC members in the Upper House. There is no PDP or NPP members in the Privilege Committee, the only two parties apart from coalition partners-National Conference and Congress, which have their presence in the Legislative Council.
Sources said the Privilege Committee of the Council would meet as per schedule at 11.30 am at Legislative Council’s irrespective of the fact that Gen Singh appeared before it or not.
“If Gen Singh appeared before the Privilege Committee, the Panel would quiz him on the pay-offs scandal. If he didn’t appear before the Committee, the members could decide future course of action against him,” they added.
The Committee members would report the breach of privilege to Legislative Council Chairman Amrit Malhotra if Gen Singh didn’t obey the summons, sources said.
It may be mentioned here that Legislative Assembly Speaker Mubarak Gul had issued a detailed questionnaire to Gen Singh to which he had replied within the stipulated time. Gen Singh had refuted the statement that Army had paid to the Ministers in Jammu and Kashmir Singh.
The former Army chief’s statement to a national channel had triggered a major controversy in the State with issue being raised by major political parties in both sessions of the House in October last year.
Gen Singh resides at Gurgaon in Non Capital Region (NCR) and sources said if he had to appear before the Privilege Committee he could take a flight from New Delhi early tomorrow morning. He had reach the Legislative Council by 11.30 am.
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