Army Chief General VK Singh replies to CBI, confirms bribe offer

New Delhi: Army Chief General VK Singh on Friday replied to the Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) and confirmed the offer of bribe. General Singh also says in the response that he will give more details soon.

Surprisingly, no bribe amount has been mentioned in the complaint.

A day after Defence Minister AK Antony extended an olive branch, the Army Chief in a fresh statement earlier on Friday tried to douse the controversy.

General Singh said,"There were rogue elements trying to create a rift between the government and the Army. There was no battle between the armed forces and the Government of India and the Army and the Chief were very much a part of it."

To those questioning the timing of the controversy, he added the bribery row was revived only because the person in question resurfaced in March.

An Army press release on March 5 had claimed that Lieutenant General (retired) Tejinder Singh had tried to influence the Army Chief and offered him bribe to clear the purchase of sub-standard vehicles for the forces.

"Institutional corrective steps were taken earlier after talks with Defence Ministry AK Antony. Selective leaks culminated in airing of letter to the Prime Minister. We are duty bound to serve country and protect the integrity of the Army even if we sometimes have to look within. We need to look within the confines of the system and law. Frivolous and uninformed comments should not be made on military matters," said General Singh.

Posted in: General