LK Advani regrets ‘coup’ report

Bharatiya Janata Party leader LK Advani on Friday said it would have been better if the news report on the army columns moving towards Delhi, which appeared in the Indian Express on April 4, had never appeared.

“Despite some deficiencies, the army remains one of India’s few institutions that is still trusted by the people,” he said while on a visit to Mumbai.

The former deputy prime minister also said he was glad that both the government and the army had denied the report, which was described as alarmist by PM Manmohan Singh.

He also said the report clearly shows a “trust deficit” between the government and the army, and added that nothing should be done or said that would weaken the army.

Further commenting on Pakistani president Asif Zardari’s visit to Mumbai, he said that while it was a private visit, he would urge Manmohan Singh to use the opportunity to strengthen India-Pakistani ties.