"It wasn't like he was giving cash in your hand. He was saying that if this file is passed you'll get this much money. Everybody takes...what's your problem?" said General Singh.
The startling allegation coming just a few weeks after the age row case which went against General Singh saw uproarious scenes in Parliament with MPs cutting across party lines expressing their shock and anger over the charge. Opposition MPs demanded that the government take strong action in the case.
Antony quickly announced that the Army Chief's allegations would be probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
There was ruckus in Parliament on Monday over Army Chief General VK Singh's claim that he was offered bribe to clear the purchase of vehicles for the forces. BJP, AIADMK and JD(U) members displayed newspapers and walked to the well of the House in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha saying General Singh's claims were 'serious'. Following the ruckus, both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha had to be adjourned twice.
The BJP said it wanted to know what action that the government plans to take on General Singh's claim.
Critisising Antony, senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh said, "I ask the Defence Minister to wake up. The Chief of the Army Staff has heavy and high responsibility on his head. The response he met from the Defence Minister was so unsatisfactory that he had to go to the press."
The Congress rose to Antony's defence casting doubts on the Army Chief appointed by its own government.
"If someone had approached General VK Singh, he should have got an FIR filed against the person," said Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari.
However, Antony evaded the question on the matter and fumbled outside Parliament.
Terming Gen Singh's allegations as "serious", Antony said, "We have to handle it...I have
taken action."
When asked if the Army chief had informed him about the bribe offer, he said, "Parliament is in session."
Former Army chiefs have expressed their shock over Army Chief General VK Singh's allegation that he was offered a bribe to clear the purchase of sub-standard vehicles for the forces.
General (Retd) Shankar Roy Choudhary defended Army Chief General VK Singh saying he did the right thing by informing the Defence Ministry that he was offered bribe. "One cannot go to the police and file an FIR based on a conversation. He did the right thing by going to the Defence Ministry and informing them," General Choudhary said.
Another retired Army Chief General VP Malik also expressed shock calling the incident 'strange' and 'serious'. He said, "There have been incidents earlier, like the Tehelka case. This is the first time that I have heard the Army Chief was approached in this manner. To me it's very strange. It's a serious matter," General Malik said.
General Malik, however, said an FIR should have been registered in the matter. "Why wasn't it reported and the company banned? An FIR should have been lodged. It's a very serious charge," he said.
Meanwhile, the CBI probe, ordered by Antony, is expected to go into the role of a former head of the defence intelligence agency Lieutenant General Tejinder Singh, accused earlier by the Army of offering a bribe.
However, the man who allegedly offered General VK Singh a bribe of Rs 14 crore has denied the charges, saying the Army Chief has not named anyone in his interview.
"In his interview, the Army chief has not named me, so I should not be talking about it. Allegations against me are baseless. I don't want to get into any controversy by speaking out anything on the issue. I don't want to tarnish the image of the Army," said Tejinder Singh.
Lieutenant General Tejinder Singh Singh has threatened legal action against the Army Chief. While Antony appears to have confirmed the view that the only decision he takes is to order inquiries. As for the Army Chief, the buzz is that after having lost face on the date of birth issue he's trying to get some of the gloss back.
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