Under the banner of Uttarakhand Purva Sainik-Ardhasainik Sainyukt Sangathan (UPSASS), ex-service men of the State submitted a representation addressed to the President of India through the Chief Secretary stating that to save their own skin, the corrupt elements of the society have joined hands against Ex Army Chief General VK Singh who had raised voice against corrupt practices prevailing in tendering process for procurement of defence equipment. ‘
The campaign of these elements is maligning the glorious traditions of Indian Army and by exposing the defence secrets, is jeopardising the security of the nation.
The UPSASS stated that Gen Singh was blamed for leakage of his confidential report about the offer of huge bribe to him for consenting to import of trucks and reporting that because of the corruption the Army had been rendered ill prepared for any war. But when it was established that it was the handiwork of somebody else close to the Government, no action or enquiry was undertaken.
Reportedly more than six dozen suppliers of foreign defence equipment reside in Delhi who entertain politicians, bureaucrats and Army officers in lavish parties in which rules and conditions are framed in such a way that particular suppliers succeeds in bagging the contracts.
UPSASS cited the Adarsh Housing scam in which the beneficiary was reportedly the then Army chief. “A Pakistani daily had reported about purchase of 126 multi role combat aircrafts by India at the cost of Rs110 crore from a defunct French company that too without transfer of developed technology for its manufacture. Indian Air Force will have to import necessary parts from that company only always in future. Instead of taking action about these dastardly acts of the corrupt, sensation was spread that General Singh was plotting a military coup to overthrow the elected government as happens in Pakistan. General Singh, being the ex Army Chief was one of the invitee in the ex Army rally at Rewari wherein Narendra Modi was also present. Once again it was reported by the same national daily, that VK Singh had planned to overthrow Omar Abdullah’s Government in Jammu and Kashmir by bribing some important politicians of the State. Was General Singh to benefit from any such move, and could he have been made the Chief Minister of the StateIJ It is an open secret that to elicit secret information about likely plots against the establishment by any group of the society, different methods are adopted, including phone tapping, by the authorities. First it was alleged that General Singh also practiced it through an Army Intelligence organisation and later he was again blamed as to why he did it. Few ex-Army Chiefs, including the one who was reportedly a beneficiary of Adarsh Housing scam, have conveniently denied it,” stated the UPSASS.
It has pleaded to the President of India, the Supreme Commander of Armed Forces to intervene and stop these malicious happenings so that the image of the armed forces of India and of the country is saved from selfish corrupt elements of the society. Otherwise the security of the nation will be jeopardised, UPSASS members said.