Army Chief General VK Singh says no rift with Government, tries to douse fire

New Delhi: The first signs of a ceasefire between the government and Army Chief General VK Singh are emerging a day after Defence Minister AK Antony extended an olive branch. The Army Chief in a fresh statement has tried to douse the controversy. He 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 re-surfaced in March. The Army Chief also said that corrective steps were taken earlier itself after talks with Defence Minister AK Anthony.

Meanwhile, the Tatra BEML deal, red flagged by the Army Chief and his bribery allegations are now firmly under the scanner. Even as Vectra, the company supplying parts of the truck, maintained innocence, the CBI filed an FIR on Friday summoning Vectra chief Ravi Rishi, asking for all the papers of the tainted deal.

The CBI has confirmed receiving a letter from the Army Chief that confirms the bribery charge and names Lt General (Retd) Tejinder Singh. Tejinder Singh has hit back at the Army Chief. He said that General VK Singh's allegations were baseless and a cornered General now wanted a truce with the government.

"I am a soft target and cannot match his resources. He has two months left in the Army, I pray him peace in these two months. He has made wild allegations and has tried to divert attention from mobile interception issue. The Chief is arrogant, his explanation that I resurfaced only in March is an arrogant one, he has been firing guns at the government repeatedly. The Chief wants truce with the government having been cornered," Lt Gen (Retd) Tejinder Singh said.

He also said General Singh was 'frustrated'. "The statement of General is that of a frustrated man. He is hitting at all and sundry," he said.

The government has also come under attack with the Opposition questioning why no action was taken earlier. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded AK Antony's resignation over the controversy.

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