Government must come clean on Army Chief letter leak: BJP

New Delhi, May 14 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday demanded a clarification from the Central Government about media reports that a high-ranking bureaucrat was behind the leak of the letter written by Army Chief General V.K Singh's to Prime Minister, in which he mentioned about shortage of equipment and ammunitions and possession of obsolete weapons by the armed forces.

BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told media that the circumstances under which a confidential and sensitive document got leaked must be made clear.

"The information that is being unravelled points suspicion towards the complicity of the (defence) ministry, the Prime Minister's Office, and the central government. The Prime Minister and the government will have to explain the circumstances under which such a sensitive and confidential letter was leaked," Naqvi said.

BJP lawmaker Tarun Vijay said that while he would not like to comment on the denials by the government, it was important to take note of the issue raised by the army chief.

"The issue raised by General V. K. Singh must be investigated thoroughly. It is a matter of national security, and the people of the country have great faith in General V. K. Singh," Vijay said.

Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Tariq Anwar said that it was inappropriate to arrive at a conclusion before the final report is out.

"The matter is being investigated by the CBI and as long as there is no concrete proof, one should not draw any conclusion. We should wait for the CBI report, and then whoever is found guilty should be punished," Anwar added.

However, Law Minister Salman Khurshid said that there was nothing more to add after the government had already made its stand clear on the issue.

"Since this matter pertains to the Prime Minister's Office and a clarification has already been issued to all of you. I don't think that there is any scope for further comment on this," he added.

General Singh had written a letter to Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in March, in which he had said that the world's second-largest standing army was devoid of ammunition, elite special forces were "woefully short" of essential weapons and air defence was 97 percent obsolete, rendering the armed forces at a disadvantage. (ANI)