Did chief of army staff Gen Singh know that stories on an alleged coup would come out in the media?
Did chief of army staff Gen VK Singh know that stories on an alleged coup would come out in the media? In a startling revelation to the The Week a few weeks ago, the army chief had stated that “even, when our unit, divisions or brigades does an exercise, some people will say that it was not an exercise. (They accuse) they wanted to do something else.”
The first part of the recorded interview was published by The Week several weeks ago but had left out these aspects. Now the magazine has published them hinting that a deliberate effort was being made to cause a schism between the civil leadership and the military.
Breaking his silence on The Indian Express report that had hinted at the government getting “spooked” by the army moves, Gen Singh on Thursday dismissed it as “absolutely stupid”. According to him, a report on the “unusual” movement of two army units towards Delhi in mid-January, was part of unnecessary attempts to “throw muck” at the government and the army.
Army chief General Singh is on a three-day visit to Nepal. While speaking to media in Kathmandu, he told reporters that they (who do such stories) need to be taken to task.
“This is absolutely stupid,” he told reporters when asked to comment on the report in the Indian Express on Wednesday that said the government was “spooked” on the night of January 16-17 because of the movement of a mechanised infantry battalion from Haryana’s Hissar and a sizeable section of 50 Para Brigade.
“Whosoever is trying to make stories against the army is deplorable. “And what it shows is that people are unnecessarily trying to throw muck at both the government and the army and such people should be taken to task,” he said.
Meanwhile, The Week’s interview with the army chief shows that he had suspected that “routine army unit movements” could be reported as an alleged “coup”. According to him “there are lots of people who want to make stories these days. Nobody wants to see whether there was truth in it. You just throw much at somebody,” General Singh told the magazine.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}