Clamour for action against V.K. Singh grows

New Delhi, March 29 (IANS) The chorus for strong action against army chief V.K. Singh grew louder Thursday after reports that he had sought a CBI probe into a serving officer based on a letter written by a Trinamool Congress MP. While the BJP doubted the timing of the disclosure, the RJD said he was 'out of his mind'.

The army chief, who had taken on the government over his age and whose letter to the prime minister on shortcomings in the forces has triggered outrage, opened a fresh front by forwarding the letter by Ambika Banerjee against Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

'The complaint of the MP that the army chief has sent to CBI should be probed. At the same time the time chosen by the army chief after one year raises questions and doubts on his behaviour,' BJP leader Balbir Punj said.

He demanded a public reply by the army chief on the delay.

'Because the issue became public, he must take the nation in confidence whether after getting the complaint he brought it to the knowledge of the defence minister and prime minister. If he did, what was their response. What was the reason behind the delay,' Punj said.

The letter by the Trinamool MP of May 2011 alleges 'procurement scams' in the 'secretive' Special Frontier Force (SFF), when Lt Gen Dalbir Singh was its inspector general.

The SFF is under the administrative control of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), the country's premiere foreign spy agency.

Hitting out at V.K. Singh, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Ramkripal Yadav said: 'I want to ask the army chief, an MP wrote a letter to you one year back on some corruption... why did you keep the letter for one year...

'He should have given it to his ministry and the ministry would have taken action,' he said.

'He is out of his mind... I think he is working under some motivation. I want to urge the government that there should be action against him without delay,' Ramkripal Yadav said.

The Samajwadi Party and the Janata Dal-United had Wednesday demanded sacking of the army chief after his letter to prime minister on shortage of ammunition in the forces was leaked to the media.

The army chief has refuted allegations that he leaked the letter and said the leak was an act of 'high treason'.