After the Army chief's disclosure that he was offered a bribe worth Rs. 14 crore to sanction the purchase of a consignment of sub-standard vehicles, the government has ordered an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation or CBI. General VK Singh has said the kickback was offered to him six months ago and that he had briefed Defence Minister AK Antony immediately. The minister did not answer reporters' questions this morning about whether the General's claim is correct. The Congress today suggested that the Army chief's own actions were wanting. "If someone offered him a bribe, as a government servant, he should have filed a case against the person under the Prevention of Corruption Act," said the Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari.
General Singh's allegations have been seized by the opposition to attack the government in Parliament. Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned till noon.
The Congress-led coalition at the Centre has been entangled in a maze of financial scandals, with the opposition accusing it of serving as a "government of scams" and of creating an environment that lends itself to graft as the Standard Operating Procedure.
In an interview to The Hindu newspaper, General VK Singh said that a lobbyist offered him the bribe if he would clear 600 sub-standard vehicles. The offer was reportedly made six months into his tenure.
The lobbyist who approached General Singh had reportedly retired from the Army. The Army chief reportedly told the paper that 7000 of these vehicles had been bought already by the Army at heavily-inflated prices with no questions asked. "He was offering a bribe to me, to the Army Chief. He told me that people had taken money before me and they will take money after me," the General said to the newspaper about the lobbyist.
In January, General Singh became the first serving military chief to take the government to court. He wanted the Defence Ministry to accept that he was born in 1951 and not 1950 - records with the army list both years. The Defence Ministry had refused the General's claim, stating that he had accepted many promotions on the basis of his seniority as established by the documents that showed he was born in 1950. The chief withdrew his petition in the Supreme Court after the judges through their remarks indicated they would not side with his claim. He is scheduled to retire at the end of May.
Tariq Khattak, Islamabad, Pakistan.
GSM = 0300-9599007 and 0333-9599007
Email: Tariqgulkhattak@gmail.com
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