NC dares V K Singh to name ministers who received payments

Singh had claimed 'certain ministers' in J&K are given money by Army for 'stability'

Ruling National Conference(NC) in Jammu and Kashmir today dared former Army Chief V K Singh to name the "certain ministers" in the state who were given money by the Army and threatened legal action if he failed to do so.

In a letter bearing signatures of all the present and former NC Ministers, the party said the ministers in the Omar Abdullah cabinet will quit if they are named by General (retd) Singh, calling his allegations "absurd and far from truth".

Singh yesterday claimed that "certain ministers" in J&K are given money by the Army for "stability" and that this has been going on since Independence.

"We the ministers and former ministers of the National Conference strongly demand that the former General should come out with the names of all alleged recipients of money from the Army," the letter, which was released to media by provincial President of the party Nasir Wani, said in response to the allegations made by Singh.

Maintaining that the NC leaders had never compromised the integrity of the offices, the leaders which included senior Ministers Abdul Rahim Rather, Akbar Lone and Chowdhury Mohammed Ramzan, said "Singh's generalised remarks are absurd and far from truth.

"If the former Army Chief doesn't come out with facts, we will deem his accusations and allegations as defaming us with malafide and malicious intent and hence we will be compelled to take legal recourse," the letter said.

Wani also said that it was an insult to the wisdom of the voters of J and K as well as to the democratic institutions.