Even as the main Opposition BJP is trying to make the Army Chief Gen. V.K. Singh’s age controversy an election plank, the Congress made it clear it would have no bearing on the polls in five states, especially in Punjab and Uttarakhand.
The issue cannot be and should not be seen as a fight between the Army and the government mainly because it is pertaining to controversy over the age of Gen. Singh as an individual, Congress sources viewed.
The Congress asked the Opposition not to sensationalise the issue, but said it would have been better if it had not happened.
“Off course, it would have been better had it not happened but why sensationalise it when the Army Chief had himself said that this was his personal issue related to his service record. Those in the opposition, who are taking this personal issue to any other level, are doing disservice to the nation,” party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi told reporters here.
Mr Singhvi said as both the Army Chief and the government have their separate stands on the matter, “ultimately both stands will be tested in the court and then decided”.
Gen. Singh moved the Supreme Court on Monday challenging the government’s rejection of his claim on his date of birth.
At least four BJP leaders — Jaswant Singh, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Balbir Punj — reacted on it separately.
They blamed the government for mishandling the issue.
“I am amazed at his (defence minister A.K. Antony) incompetence and sheer folly of treating such a sensitive matter in an insensitive manner,” Mr Jaswant Singh told a private TV channel. Mr Singh is also the former defence minister.
Maintaining that the civilian government’s approach to the Army Chief’s age issue as “extremely distasteful”, he said the Army cannot be treated in this fashion as there was such a disconnect between the civilian government and the military.
Mr Singh said just because the Army Chief sought correction of the “wrong” record, the government cannot treat it as “mutinous behaviour”.
He said he was not supporting the Army Chief as an individual but as an institution.
Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad said “The government of India has displayed a serious failure of statecraft in the handling of the age related matter of the Army Chief. The Army is a very important institution of India about which the entire country is proud. This sensitive matter ought to have been handled properly by the government internally, to the satisfaction of all concerned, instead of allowing it to come in public domain and resultant court proceedings.” he said.