Exclusive: Defence secretary’s wife silences R-Day voice

At a time when Union Defence Secretary Sashikant Sharma is busy battling the army chief’s age row, his better half, Sandhya, has walked into a minor controversy as she tried her hand as a commentator during the final rehearsal of the Republic Day parade on Monday.

Sharma, a former Doordarshan newscaster and occasional announcer and commentator, was picked up for reading the Republic Day gallantry award citation. But no one from the defence ministry bothered to inform the regular commentator, Manisha Dubey, who has been associated with the parade for over 15 years.

The incident occurred at around 10 am on Monday when the full dress rehearsal was on. When Dubey was about to read the citation for the winners, she was brusquely informed by the ministry of defence that she will no longer be required for the job. Instead, Sharma was brought in.

“I have been practising it for long and had done a lot of work in editing the script. Suddenly, while I was reading it today on the day of full dress rehearsal, an officer from the defence ministry informed me that this year I will not be reading it. I learnt that wife of defence secretary will be given task of reading the citation for this year parade,’’ a furious Dubey told DNA. “I have been reading it for 15 years and I am not doing it for money. I am emotionally attached to it. Since it was close to my heart, I felt insulted and I walked out from the commentary box. I should have been informed earlier .’’

But the defence ministry was quick to say that this was no big deal. “We had selected both of them, one being a stand by,’’ Sitanshu Kar, official spokesperson, told DNA. He said that Sandhya was the wife of defence secretary had nothing to do with the choice.