Supporting the decision of Brajesh Mishra in getting the parameters changed, Singh said, "I think that the then National Security Advisor "appropriately and rightly said we much avoid the single vendor situation".

He said he was disappointed wtih the UPA government's response in the matter. "When it first appeared in 2011 and the Parliament was also seized of it, the government has denied the very existence of such a situation. It is very disappointing." He said, "for about 10 months all that the government did, between Ministry of Defence and Ministry of External Affairs, also sent rather polite notes to the Italian government, who in any event are the Gold medal winners for corruption." Singh said, "should it require much more than just a polite letter saying please give us the facts. We need much stronger diplomatic action. "If that was the provision, then immediately the Ministry of Defence ought to have stayed any further payments at least because it is a very fine balancing act that we have to achieve." The former Defence Minister said the defence preparedness of the country should not be damaged by delays in the decision-making. "But we equally must not let damage to decision-making by such programmes being riddled with corruption. So I find the government response as tardy, unsatisfactory and certainly not answering the need of the hour," he said.