Army Chief General V.K. Singh on Monday rubbished reports about his involvement in illegal phone tapping in the capital. He also cleared the air regarding his stepping down from the post and said that he had already ordered for his retirement process to be initiated and congratulated his successor.
Meanwhile, minister of state for defence, Mr Pallam Raju said that there was a need to augment the country’s defence preparedness and a spend of around $100-$120 billion (for five years) had been envisaged in the 12th Five Year plan.
When questioned about reports of his involvement in phone tapping and appointment of Rajput Regiment officers to high posts, Gen. Singh said, “Fiction does not require any reaction. If people concoct stories and if some of the irresponsible editors publish it, I don’t think it requires any reaction.” Talking about the letter written to the Defence Minister on the shortage of ammunition, he said that efforts had made been over the last two years to ensure operational preparedness. “We have been appraising the ministry on how things are going, what are the shortages and what action needs to be taken,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Raju, who spoke on the side-lines of a book release function at the Military College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, said that China’s increasing defence budget was not a matter of concern.
Replying to a question about China allocating $100 billion in its budget for defence purposes and whether it was a cause for concern for India, he said that the ministry was improvising on acquisition on capabilities and increasing manufacturing in the public sector, while encouraging private sector participation.
“We formulate our budget and our defence spending based on perception of the security scenario. We see a widening of defence industrial base but we, however, need not compare it with others’ spending,” he said.