INDIA
The defence minister appeared to be ruling out any action against the army chief but vowed to take the "strongest action" under laws against those responsible for the leak of his letter to the PM.
In possible signs of thaw, Defence Minister AK Antony on Thursday appeared to be ruling out any action against army chief Gen VK Singh but vowed to take the "strongest action" under laws against those responsible for the leak of his letter to the Prime Minister.
He disclosed that the Intelligence Bureau has been asked to go into the leak of the letter in which the army chief had said that the country's security might be at stake and said the government will get to the root of it and find out the persons behind the "anti-national" act.
"All the three service chiefs enjoy the confidence of the government. They are working...otherwise, how can they continue," he told reporters when he was asked whether Gen Singh still enjoyed the government's pleasure and confidence.
At a press conference at the DefExpo, he was also asked whether the government would continue to "grin and bear" Gen Singh till retirement in May or ask him to go on leave following a spate of controversies surrounding him.
The Minister's remarks on the confidence in the service chiefs came moments after a statement issued by Gen Singh from Jammu that the leak of his letter should be treated as "high treason" and its source should be dealt with "ruthlessly".
Maintaining that no patriotic Indian would indulge in sensitive communication because it would only help the enemies, Antony said the report will be available at the earliest.
"I assure you that we will not leave it there. We will make every possible attempt to find out the real culprits who have done this anti-national activity and they will be given the maximum punishment under the Indian Penal Code," he said.
Ever since he lost the battle over the age issue, Gen Singh has been at loggerheads with the government and has given media interviews claiming he was offered a bribe of Rs14 crore to swing a substandard defence deal.
On top of acrimony over the issue, the leak of his secret letter to the Prime Minister enraged parliamentarians and political parties, some of whom demanded his removal.
Today, in yet another embarrassment to the government, a Delhi newspaper carried a story that Gen Singh has referred to the CBI a corruption complaint of a Trinamool Congress MP against Lieutenant General Dalbir Singh Suhag, who commands the Dimpaur-based 3 Corps and is in line to be Army Chief after Singh's successor.
Initially Antony sought to parry questions on the controversies surrounding the Army chief urging journalists not to bring Army into all controversies and damage institutions.
Asked if he felt a sense of betrayal, Antony said he would not reveal his personal feelings and his judgements would be on the basis on facts.
The Defence Minister also answered questions on the state of Indian Army, modernisation and acquisition process, issues over which the Army chief had expressed concern to the Prime Minister.
"The government has a zero tolerance policy for corruption and has decided that in the procurement process, if any malpractices are found at any stage, it would not hesitate to cancel the contracts," he said.
The Defence Minister said India is located in a sensitive security surroundings and its neighbours are modernising their defence forces at a fast pace.
"We continuously review our defence preparedness. Strengthening of defence is a continuous process and India needs substantial step up in allocation for modernisation of defence forces," he said.
Antony said any defence contracts over Rs100 crore has a provision for integrity pact and the agreements stands the risk of cancellation even at the last stage if malpractices come to notice.
He said the indigenisation process of manufacturing arms and ammunition has improved but one also has to take into account the international technology denial regime which have only recently started easing.
"Don't blame me on both counts. There are complaints (about contracts) which I have to enquire but at the same time I have to ensure things are processed quickly," he said.
To a question, he denied knowledge about reports of Enforcement Directorate conducting a probe into a deal for purchase of helicopters.
IND vs NZ: Devon Conway takes one hand blunder, gets Sarfaraz Khan on duck, watch video here
IND vs NZ test: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma fail to impress, India 3 wickets down in first 10 overs
Nita Ambani, Isha Ambani have 'great skin and features' reveals celebrity makeup artist
CJI Chandrachud decides on his successor, nominates…
Delhi Police initiates probe in 7 hoax threats to flights, registers FIR
Meet Nikita Porwal, Aishwarya Rai's fan, Miss India 2024 winner who works as...
Phone call paved way to long-lasting friendship between Ratan Tata, Amrish Puri, know how
IND vs NZ TEST TOSS UPDATE: India wins toss, to bat, check playing 11
MEA makes big statement, holds PM Trudeau 'solely responsible' for damage to India-Canada relations
'Many are mistreated...': When Ratan Tata opened up about his personal journey behind cancer care
Noida DM mired in controversy, being investigated for alleged scam worth Rs…
Bigg Boss 18: Netizens call Vivian Dsena 'rude, egoistic', Chahat Pandey 'sensible' after she...
'Crucial that we act together...': Congress breaks silence on India-Canada diplomatic row
When Radhika Merchant borrowed sister-in-law Isha Ambani's earrings, shared major family goals
Valmiki Jayanti 2024: Know date, timings, history, and significance
Liam Payne, One Direction’s former member, passes way at 31 after falling from balcony
Bihar man gets bitten by snake, goes to hospital with reptile, watch viral video
Ajmer-Jaipur-Delhi travel time to reduce soon, NHAI unveils Rs 200 crore project; details inside
Nayab Saini to take oath as Haryana CM today; PM Modi to attend event
Valmiki Jayanti 2024: Are banks closed or open today? Check here
Bigg Boss 18: Vivian Dsena fights with Rajat Dalal over food, says 'koi nahi rok paaega mujhe'
DNA TV Show: Foreign Minister S Jaishankar delivers strong message to Pakistan at SCO Summit
Meet Yasmin Joseph discovered by Raj Kapoor, very bold scenes made her famous, her screen name is…
Uttarakhand: CEC Rajiv Kumar stranded in Pithoragarh village, rescue operation continues
Bomb hoax threats to airlines: Police detain class 11 student from Chhattisgarh
PAK vs ENG: Ben Duckett scripts history, surpasses Adam Gilchrist, Virender Sehwag to become....
Bengaluru rains: 'Manyata Tech waterfalls,' internet mocks city’s infra amid heavy rainfall
'If you delay more then...': Mithali Raj wants India to move on from Harmanpreet Kaur as captain
Waman Hari Pethe Jewellers announces Bollywood star Sharvari as their brand ambassador
Exploring the Future of 316LVM Stainless Steel in India’s Emerging Tech Sectors
How Construction Management Software Can Improve Project Scheduling
'Apne pariwar walon ki arthi uthaoge': Salman Khan threatens Lawrence Bishnoi in viral video?
Who is Surender Choudhary, and why J-K CM Omar Abdullah picked him as his Deputy?
This company secures Rs 8668700000 contract to build India’s first bullet train, it is owned by…
MS Dhoni keeps CSK on edge as retention deadline looms, yet to confirm participation in IPL 2025
Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti back documentary film Turtle Walker set to premiere at Doc NYC
Viral video: Sibling dancing to Shah Rukh Khan’s 'Chaleya' at wedding is unmissable, watch
Viral video: Giant python wraps itself around drunk man, netizens say ‘find out the liquor brand'
Mukesh Ambani afraid of Elon Musk? Tesla CEO responds to a meme on X, says, "I will…"
Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam: R Ashwin sums up 'better batsman' debate with stunning remark
This woman claims to be a 'real-life vampire', feeds on energy of...
Mukesh Ambani loses over Rs 160000000000 in 24 hours, Gautam Adani's net worth boosts by…
IND vs NZ: Day 1 of first Test between India and New Zealand called off due to rain in Bengaluru
Ashish Bansal's Vision: Transforming Business Operations with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
Gautam Adani acquires two more companies, pays Rs 380000000 for...
Good news for online shoppers! Blinkit to introduce this feature to ease up returns
7th Pay Commission: Good news for central government employees, Cabinet approves 3% hike on...
Watch: Priyanka Chopra makes her Bollywood dreams come true, video from Switzerland goes viral
Akasa Air flight to Bengaluru gets bomb threat, returns to Delhi
Fake cop jumps into auto, demands Rs 50,000 from Mumbai woman for…, watch viral video
Delhi CEO shares screenshot of jobseeker’s CV with mistakes all over, blames…, see viral pic
IND vs NZ Test: Virat Kohli's cool walk in rains at Bengaluru's Chinwaswamy Stadium steals spotlight
Video of drunk man wrapped in giant python's deadly grip in Andhra Pradesh goes viral, watch here