Facing fire, VK Singh does damage control

Facing fire over his remarks that ministers in Jammu and Kashmir were given money by the Army, former Army chief Gen V K Singh today sought to do damage control by saying it was not a bribe but the Centre expressed its willingness to order a probe.
The controversial general, who stepped down as Army Chief in May last year, has created a political storm with his statements saying that ministers in the trouble-torn state had been paid by the army since independence, prompting sharp reaction from National Conference and the Congress which are ruling the state.
He called a press conference at Gurgaon on the outskirts of the capital, at which he appeared to soften his allegations by saying that the payments were not for the personal use of the ministers but for promoting goodwill among the people. At the same time, he maintained he had not committed any mistakes in making the allegations.

"I did not commit any mistake. When I had said some politicians were given money, it was not meant for their personal purpose or political purpose. It was not for lining their pockets or for bribe. If somebody says that any minister was given a bribe, it is totally wrong.
"It was meant solely for stability...To win hearts and minds of people, to wean people away from separatist activities under the overall umbrella of sadbhavna (harmony)," he said.
Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said that the Government was ready to probe the allegations if the beneficiaries were identified.
Kashmir's mainstream leaders, including two Union Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi Azad, both former Chief Ministers of the state, reacted with anger to Singh's allegations.

National Conference ministers, past and present, issued a statement demanding that the names of those who had been given the money should be made public by Singh failing which they would consider legal action against him. They described his allegations as "absurd".