"I am again clarifying there is absolutely no truth in it. My colleague (Manish Tewari) was neither a member of the cabinet committee on security nor any of relevant decision-making body," said Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
Former Union Minister Manish Tewari has raked up the 2012 troop movement controversy, saying a media report about army units moving towards Delhi without notifying the then UPA government was "unfortunate but true" even as his own party distanced itself from his claims while former Army Chief V K Singh rubbished the remarks.
Reacting to his remark, VK Singh said, Tewari should be told to read his book which talks about the issue.
"He should be told to read my book, which reveals all (about the issue)," he said. Singh, who had in 2012 dismissed the report, said, "He (Tewari) has no work these days."
Trashing the claim made by his party colleague Tewari, Congress leader PC Chacko said it is unfortunate that such statements are coming to create unnecessary controversies.
"This report, which has appeared in the Indian Express in the past, has been denied officially by authenticated sources. The fact that some private information passed on to Mr. Tewari by some officials is what was quoted. If this newspaper report is an indication then I think there is no reason for even Mr. Tewari to believe that it was true," Chacko told ANI .
"And we on behalf of the Congress Party very clearly and categorically deny this report. There was no such troop moment without information of the government," he added.
"I am again clarifying there is absolutely no truth in it. My colleague (Manish Tewari) was neither a member of the cabinet committee on security nor any of relevant decision-making body," said Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
He further added, "It was inappropriate, unnecessary and completely wrong to suggest there was truth in those allegations when made. Some troop movements are necessary, inbuilt & inevitable part of the defence mechanism."
Union Minister MA Naqvi also said that he doesn't think any such discussion took place within standing committee on defence, adding, "The discussions that takes place within the standing committee should not be brought out in public."
Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, however, backed Tewari's troop movement claim.
"It appears, something did happen that night which was against the Constitution and democracy," he said.
Tewari had on Saturday brushed aside allegations that the news item published on April 4, 2012 was fake.
"At that time, I used to serve in the standing committee of defence. And it is unfortunate, but the story was true. The story was correct," he said at an event in Delhi.
Questing the timing of the admission made Tewari , the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday said his comments have become a 'suspect' and put the UPA regime under the scanner.
"Manish Tewari's comments raise the question about the timing of the statement. His comments become a suspect. I would only ask why was he quiet when his government had denied that there was anything like this happening when they were in power," BJP leader Siddharthnath Singh told ANI.
The newspaper had reported that late on the night of January 16, 2012 (the day then Army Chief Singh approached the Supreme Court on his date of birth issue), central intelligence agencies reported an unexpected (and non-notified) movement by a key military unit from mechanised infantry based in Hisar (Haryana) as a part of the 33rd Armoured Division (which is a part of 1 Corps, a strike formation based in Mathura and commanded by Lt Gen. A K Singh) in the direction of the capital, 150 km away.
According to The Indian Express report, central intelligence agencies had reported that on the night of January 16, there was an unexpected - and non-notified - movement by a key military unit from the mechanised infantry based in Hisar in the direction of the capital.
On the same night, another unit - identified as a large element of the 50th Para Brigade based at Agra - had also been moved towards Delhi, according to the newspaper report.
The alleged movement took place at a time when Singh was locked in a confrontation with the government in a row over his age.
(With inputs from ANI/PTI)
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