Tensions rise over General V.K. Singh's letter

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Relations between Army Chief Gen. V.K. Singh and the government further nosedived Wednesday after the leakage of a letter written by Gen. Singh to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in which he alleged several critical deficiencies and shortfall in Army equipment which could be crippling in a conflict.

A furore erupted in the Rajya Sabha, with some MPs saying Gen. Singh should be sacked. While the government is extremely upset with Gen. Singh, till Wednesday evening there appeared to be no immediate move to either dismiss him or order him to go on leave. A section within the government feels it may be counterproductive as the Chief has raised issues like corruption and the slow pace of
acquisitions.

But defence minister A.K. Antony made his displeasure known. "Publishing a secret communication within the government cannot serve our national security". Mr Antony added such a "top secret letter" should not be in the public domain. Mr Antony is learnt to have met the Prime Minister on the issue.

The CBI, meanwhile, requested the Army Chief to send a formal written complaint following Gen. Singh’s recent claim that he was offered Rs14 crores as a bribe in 2010 to clear the induction of a few hundred trucks into the Army.

In his March 12 letter to the PM, Gen. Singh noted the critical shortfall of ammunition for battle tanks, obsolete air defence weaponry and crippling deficiencies of 'crew-served weapons' in the infantry.

He said almost the entire air-defence weaponry was obsolete, with decades-old Soviet-origin air defence guns still used. There had been no fresh artillery acquisitions for over two decades, which he
said added to the Army’s frustration.

Defence Minister A.K. Antony said in Parliament on Wednesday that Indian defence preparedness 'has always been strong'. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Mr. Antony said, "Gen. V.K. Singh, COAS, had written to the Prime Minister on March 12, 2012, drawing his attention to certain issues relating to our national defence and security.

These issues are being examined in the MoD. By their very nature, such issues cannot form the
subject of public debate ... Successive Governments have attached the highest priority
to the defence preparedness of the nation."

Before writing to the Prime Minister, Gen. Singh had earlier written to the defence minister this year pointing out various deficiencies and shortfall in crucial equipment used by the Army.

In his letter to the Prime Minister, the Army Chief pointed to the shortage of equipment for the Army's elite Special Forces and a large-scale void in critical surveillance equipment and night-vision equipment has also caused serious concern to the Army.

Shortage of trainer aircraft and reducing number of fighter squadrons in the Indian Air Force and
depleting numerical strength of submarines compounded by delays in building Scorpene
submarines as well as delays in acquisition of more submarines for the Navy have
added to the woes of the armed forces.

Insisting that leakage of the Army Chief's letter to the PM has created an 'alarming situation', opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha demanded action against those responsible for the leakage.

JD(U) member Shivanand Tiwari even demanded sacking of the Army Chief for setting a wrong precedent by talking on sensitive issues to the media and for "gross indiscipline". He said, "He should be removed from the post ... The way he is talking to the press... This is gross indiscipline. We demand that he should be dismissed."

However, defence minister Antony assured the Rajya House that he has taken 'serious note' of the observation of Opposition parties and that after consulting the PM and his colleagues, 'necessary action' will be taken. Opposition parties forced two adjournments during the Question Hour over the issue.

As soon as the House met for the day, the Opposition led by BJP wanted to know the contents of the letter and the government's response to it. "What action has the government taken?" senior BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu sought to know.

CPI(M) member Sitaram Yechury said the leakage is a matter of 'utmost concern' and something that needs to be inquired. BJD member Pyari Mohan Mahapatra said "There is no scope for inquiry. It can take years. Whatever has to be done, it has to be done in hours not days," he said adding "people who are to be sacked should be sacked" immediately under Article 311 B and C of Constitution.

Expressing gratitude to the members of Opposition, Mr Antony said "This is a great tribute to out country. Whatever be our differences, whenever it comes to national security, we are one." He also assured the House that the government is continuously taking steps to tighten the loose ends in the procurement process. "We will protect every inch of our motherland," said the minister.