Def Ministry's decision on Army Chief ethically wrong:VK Singh

Def Ministry's decision on Army Chief ethically wrong:VK Singh

BJP Lok Sabha candidate and former Army Chief Gen V K Singh today slammed Defence Ministry's decision to go ahead with the process of appointing the next Army Chief, saying it is "ethically" wrong and would make the present chief "ineffective".

"There is a question mark over the decision and the officer himself who is going to be appointed as why is the government in a hurry to make this appointment. It is ethically wrong to take a decision when you are about to go," he said.

Significantly, during the last days of his tenure as Army Chief, V K Singh had put a 'discipline and vigilance ban' on Lt Gen Dalbir Suhag, then 3 Corps Commander, for the "failure of command and control" as an intelligence unit under him had allegedly carried out dacoity in Jorhat in Assam outside the jurisdiction of the Corps.

The ban was lifted soon after Bikram Singh took over as Army Chief and appointed Suhag as the Eastern Army Commander.

The former chief, who had a turbulent relationship with the UPA government during his tenure as the Army chief, said "as per the norm, the new chief is designated two months in advance. Why are they making the present chief ineffective so early."

The Defence Ministry recommended Suhag for being appointed as the next chief to the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) shortly after receiving the go-ahead from the Election Commission to which the matter had been referred in view of the Model Code of Conduct.