In a veiled warning to Army chief Gen VK Singh whose war of attrition with the government seems to show no signs of abating, Congress spokesperson Renuka Chaudhary on Thursday said, “Don’t mistake our decency for weakness.”
After DNA reported that the army chief had written to the PM enlisting the lacunae in defence preparedness, there has been demand from some political parties that he should be sacked. Gen Singh struck back by describing the ‘leakage of the letter’ as high treason, and against this backdrop, the Congress spokesperson was fielding a wide range of queries. “When he says that is high treason, then the scope of this will be examined,” she added.
Chaudhary, whose father was an IAF officer, took a swipe at Gen Singh for going to the press. “He (her father) always maintained that the honour of the nation and the integrity of the army is always more important than indulging oneself,” Chaudhary observed.
She pointed out that when someone rises to the level of becoming the army chief then he knows the ‘limits of his jurisprudence’. “We do not discuss in public whatever is discussed between the defence minister and the army chief. Then it evokes a response,” said the Congress spokesperson.
Emphasising that the defence minister is a man of integrity whose commitment to national interest is beyond doubt, Chaudhary said it is ridiculous to suggest that every nut and bolt for the army is procured by the ministry. “The army is autonomous and only when big bucks are involved does the ministry come in,” she said.
She maintained that there was no question of having any doubts about the army’s preparedness in handling any eventuality. “The army not only fights war across the border, but it is also called upon to take up many tasks in difficult circumstances even within the country, and it has always served the national cause. We must exercise restraint, and more so when there are dignitaries visiting us from across the border,” she said while wondering as to what kind of message has been sent by the recent media exchanges that the army chief has had.
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