BJP rubbishes Tewari's claim, says Army had denied troop movement report in 2012

Mumbai: Countering the claim of Congress leader Manish Tewari that news report on the controversial 2012 troop movement was "true", Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today said the Army had already denied the report when the UPA was in power.

"The Army denied (the media report) in 2012 itself when the UPA government was in power," the senior BJP leader told reporters here.

"It is an unwritten rule of parliamentary etiquette that you don't disclose what is talked about inside the parliamentary committee," the Telecom Minister said.

Replying to a question at a book release function in New Delhi yesterday, Tewari had said, "At that point of time I used to serve in the Standing Committee on Defence. And it's unfortunate, but the story was true. Story was correct."

Tewari, who was Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting in the UPA government between October 2012 and May 2014, said, "I am not getting into an argument. All I am saying is that to the best of my knowledge that story was correct".

When the alleged incident took place, the Congress-led UPA government was in power and the then Army Chief V K Singh, who denied ordering any illegal troop movement, is now the Minister of State for External Affairs in the Narendra Modi government.

According to the report, central intelligence agencies had reported that on the night of January 16, 2012 there was an unexpected - and non-notified - movement by a key military unit from mechanised infantry based in Hisar in the direction of the capital.

On the same night, another unit - identified as a large element of the 50th Para Brigade based at Agra - had also been moved towards Delhi, according to the newspaper report.

To a query on Ram temple at Ayodhya, Prasad said, "It is part of our manifesto. The matter is in Supreme Court. Let's await its decision."

"There has to be a consensus in the society and matter can be resolved through dialogue," the minister said.