Bureaucracy tried to cook up something: General V K Singh over troop movement

Bhopal: Amidst a fresh controversy over movement of Army units towards Delhi in 2012, former Army Chief Gen V K Singh on Monday said the bureaucracy had tried to ‘cook up’ something even though it was a routine exercise.

To buttress his point, he cited a statement given by former DGMO Lt Gen A K Choudhary who had been called by the then Defence Secretary to explain the troop movement. "DGMO has clearly said that it was a routine exercise...he was called at night, why was he called and for what reason...on the other hand our political leadership has made it clear that nothing was wrong. So, it means something was being cooked up within the bureaucracy. I have already said it is a fable of sick mind," Singh told reporters.

A fresh controversy has erupted over the movement of two Army units near Delhi in 2012 with Choudhary saying there may have been ‘distrust’ between the Army and government on the issue.

Choudhary's views have been rejected by the National Security Advisor (NSA). The movement of troops was a ‘normal’ exercise, and the government immediately ‘understood’ the issue after he explained the matter to them, the former DGMO had said.

"But before that either there was misconception... or may be distrust," Choudhary had said. He had also said it would be wrong to link the troop movement with Gen Singh's decision to drag the government to the Supreme Court over his date of birth row as such exercises are planned long in advance.