Government sighs a heave of relief as Gen VK Singh retires

General VK Singh - The man who was slandered for defending his honour By Major General Mrinal Suman Source : SIFY
Last Updated: Fri, Jun 01, 2012 13:08 hrs

Today is Friday – the first of June 2012 – a day of great significance. The government can now heave a sigh of relief as General VK Singh has retired and is out of the way. His tenure at the helm of the Indian army invited undue attention, mostly for 'inconvenient reasons'. Here is a short recap of the 'problems' he created.
He refused to accept the government’s command that he was born in 1950. Worse, he had the temerity to claim that his parents and the military hospital where he was born knew better than the government. As many journalists will have us believe, it amounted to challenging 'civilian supremacy' over the armed forces. According to them, the civilian authority can appropriate to itself the right to decide every soldier's date of birth, school-certificate notwithstanding.
By repeatedly claiming that he was born in 1951, VK Singh showed a distinct tendency to 'defy the government' and thereby strained relations between the services and the ministry. He 'forgot' that it is solely the duty of the armed forces to ensure cordiality of relations with the ministry.
Being the superior entity, the ministry has no obligation towards that end. Therefore, being the Chief, he was obliged to accept all just/unjust decisions of the ministry in the interest of maintaining cordial relations.
VK Singh 'embarrassed' the government by appealing to the Apex Court for justice. It is only fine with the environment when ministers, governors and other top dignitaries approach courts for relief, even when accused of heinous crimes and swindling enormous funds.
VK Singh forgot that as a Chief he forfeits his fundamental right to seek justice when aggrieved and is expected to swallow all wrong done to him. A segment of media questioned his motives and used innovative invectives like ‘dragging the government to the court’. After all, abstract concepts like ‘honour and reputation’ are totally alien to some.
VK Singh has also been faulted for his handling of the alleged bribery offer. He is accused of not taking any immediate action against the concerned officer. Notwithstanding the fact that a civilian (an ex-serviceman is a civilian) cannot be arrested by the military police and no enquiry can be ordered by an officer where he himself is the complainant, he should have done ‘something’. His reporting the matter to his superior i.e. the Defence Minister, as mandated by the Defence Services Regulations, is considered inadequate.
In a country where political leaders sell their votes for a few lakhs and where one can buy enough votes to be a Rajya Sabha member with a few crores in pocket, 14 crores is a huge sum. The environment finds VK Singh’s claim that he said ‘no’ to such an offer to be incredible and far-fetched.
VK Singh is considered guilty of exposing corrupt practices that that had afflicted the system, thereby disturbing a highly comfortable and rewarding environment. Supply of imported equipment through the public sector companies has been going on for decades. It was common knowledge that these companies were acting solely as traders and making huge profits at the cost of the defence budget. VKS is accused of having acted with ulterior motives to stop the loot.
VK Singh is also accused of ordering the move of two battalion level forces in January with ‘surreptitious motives’. A media bigwig smelt a rat and suspected a hidden agenda. He considered the movement of 1500 soldiers (from a 11.3 lakh strong force) to be too major a development to be taken lightly.
He blamed VK Singh for causing unnecessary alarm and scare. More seriously, VK Singh is guilty of writing a letter to the Prime Minister on two counts. One, he had no business to talk of equipment deficiencies. These have not occurred overnight. In any case, it is the defence ministry that is responsible for national security.
It knows ‘what equipment to buy, when to buy and from whom to buy’. The service chiefs should just keep initiating proposals and not sound alarmist. After all, 1962-like occurrences do not take place very often. In a true nationalist spirit, VK Singh should have lived with the often stated philosophy ‘we will fight with whatever we have’.
Two, VK Singh should have realised that his letter would not remain consigned to top-secret files. Porosity of Indian officialdom is well known. He was thus instrumental in divulging defence weaknesses to India’s prospective enemies. It is of no consequence that all deficiencies are well known and comprehensively catalogued in documents that are already in public domain. Many leaders were agitated and wanted VK Singh to be sacked for having the impudence to write a ‘leakable’ letter.
Moral of the Story

Always ‘blow with the wind’ (or should one say ‘swim with the tide’). India is more comfortable with conformists than crusaders.

Be a passenger, ride the waves, create no ripples, enjoy your tenure and do not disturb the status-quo.

Be a good yes-man, develop rapport with the functionaries through social networking and aspire for a governorship/ambassadorship after retirement.

Do not be too concerned about India’s defence preparedness. India has been surviving due to God’s munificence and will continue to do so. Why worry?
Also by Major General Mrinal Suman:
'Coup' rumours: Media's irresponsible reporting dents Army's image
Army Chief has every right to go to court
Scams & the Army: Silence is not golden
Major General Mrinal Suman, AVSM, VSM, PhD, commanded an Engineer Regiment on the Siachen Glacier, the most hostile battlefield in the world. A highly qualified officer (B Tech, MA (Public Administration), MSc (Defence Studies) and a Doctorate in Public Administration) he was also the Task Force Commander at Pokhran and was responsible for designing and sinking shafts for the nuclear tests of May 1998.
Note: The views expressed in the article are of the author’s and not of Sify.com.

The new Army Chief must restore the dignity of the high office of the Chief, and, equally important, must revive the ethics and ethos of the Army by Lt Gen SK Sinha Ethics, ethos and the new Chief Comment: Lt Gen SK Sinha has been rewarded for being a "Yes Man" and appointed Governor. Now he is aspiring to be the next president. His ethos is to blow with the end. With no prejudice to Generals who have Networked to become Governors and Ambassadors.

BEML Scamster becomes MOD spokesman

BEML serves legal notice on Gen. V.K.Singh; denies charges
A day after Gen V.K. Singh retired as Chief of Army, public sector BEML on Friday slapped a legal notice on him demanding an apology for his “false and motivated” allegations against it on the Tatra truck issue.
“Legal notice has been issued today. If he does not apologise, we may file a defamation suit against Gen V K Singh”, BEML Chairman and Managing Director V.R.S. Natarajan told reporters in Bangalore.
Gen Singh had alleged that he was offered Rs. 14 crore bribe by a former officer to clear supply of a tranche of 600 Tatra trucks into which the CBI is investigating.
“The former Army chief has made some allegations against BEML. As the CEO of the company, I deny them as absolutely false, motivated, damaging and defamatory”, Mr. Natarajan said.
The CBI has registered a Preliminary Enquiry against retired Lt Gen Tejinder Singh on a complaint filed by Singh in which he has alleged that the retired Army officer had offered him the bribe for clearing a ‘sub-standard’ consignment of Tatra trucks.
Mr. Natarajan defended the delay in initiating the process for defamation against Gen. Singh saying the company had to go through the process of seeking legal advice and then placing it before the board for approval.
BEML has not received a single letter that the Tatra vehicles is sub-standard, obsolete or over-priced, Mr. Natarajan said.
BEML serves legal notice on Gen. V.K.Singh>
Comment: MOD is using a corrupt BEML Chairman to settle scores with the Military. This a plot by the IAS lobby whose money laundering opportunity has been severely curtailed. Natarajan is closely linked with MHA and MOD in running benami operations in Bangalore and Hyderabad. The CBI is investigating Natarajan as is evident from media reports. BEML chief using tax payers money to pay its lawyers for the defamation case (the company will be billed Rs 1 crore)... this is a joke!

Government sermonizes austerity: Cruel joke on the citizens?

Thursday 31 May, 2012.
Govt launches austerity drive, bans creation of new posts
Faced with the worst economic performance in nine years, the government on Thursday launched an austerity drive banning creation of new posts and holding of its meetings in five-star hotels besides restricting foreign travel by officials.
There will also be a ban on purchase of new vehicles, the Finance Ministry said in a direction to all Ministries and departments.
These directives, aimed at cutting non-Plan expenditure by 10 per cent during the current fiscal, were announced on a day when the country's growth rate declined to nine-year low of 6.5 per cent in 2011-12 and rupee touched a new low of 56.51 to a dollar. "There is tremendous pressure on government's resources, there is an urgent need for rationalisation of expenditure and optimisation of available resources with a view to improve macreoeconomic environment", the Ministry said.
Interestingly, the measures this time around do not include any direction on a travel by economy class.
The Centre will also observe discipline in fiscal transfers to state, public sector units and autonomous bodies.
"No amount shall be released to any entity (including state governments) which has defaulted in furnishing utilisation certificates for grants-in-aid released by the central government without prior approval of the Ministry of of Finance", it said.
However, directive to cut non-Plan expenditure by 10 per cent will exclude interest payment, defence purchases, salaries, pension and the grants to states.
The secretary in each department, it added, would be responsible for ensuring compliance of the austerity measures. (NZ-31/05)
Govt launches austerity drive, bans creation of new posts
Comment: With rising inflation and price rise of essential commodities the common citizens are finding it difficult to survive. President Pratibha Patil, Praful Patel, Montek Singh, SM Krishna and the like are squandering public money. This call for austerity is a cruel joke on the Nation!

Support new army chief General Bikram Singh

Set aside differences and support new army chief
Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi | Thursday, May 31, 2012
General Bikram Singh is slated to take over as army chief on June 1, as General VK Singh demits office. The change of guard is a major event for the nation and is comprehensively covered by the media. This time, however, so much has already been covered in the media that one wonders what is left unsaid!
However, the unavoidable polarisation regarding this high office needs to stop now. The change of command must be as significant as it has always been. For, we are talking about the future security and well-being of the nation, as well as of the most enduring and the most respected institution of our country.
While many have given diverse opinions on the succession of the chiefs, I am firmly of the view that the change needs to be welcomed by all. Being an optimist, I am of the view that change, irrespective of the circumstances in which it takes place, always augers well for the future. Both the outgoing and the incoming chiefs are men of honour, who have risen to this highest appointment because of their diligence, highest character qualities and great professional acumen.
There have undoubtedly been aberrations where petty-minded individuals, albeit holding public appointments at extremely high levels, have muddied the waters on parochial and other grounds and have played partisan politics of the lowest variety. They will get their retribution in due course, but it is important that we must shed past baggage at the earliest, as an entirely fresh start is essential.
The new chief must have a free hand in commanding this great army of ours, unfettered with obligations on the one hand and the burden of reproach on the other. The nation in general and the military, including the veterans, have to be fully supportive and honour the new chief, for only then can he act with courage and conviction.
When the present chief assumed command a little over two years back, I had written the following: ‘Let me remind the new chief that even if in future he goes on to hold other prestigious appointments in or outside the government, they will never be able to match this appointment — in prestige; in satisfaction; and the affection he will get from his vast command and indeed from the whole country.
He will also have to reciprocate to the maximum extent by his deeds. Consequently, he must command with honour and neither let carrots being dangled in his face nor pressures and threats change or influence the decisions he takes.’
The present chief, in my opinion, has done even more, although there are some who may not agree with me. I now urge the new chief to also keep this in mind and further hone this wonderful machine that has served the nation with distinction. In recent months, there has been some talk of polarisation within the army and of the existence of small coteries. If true, such actions and even thinking needs to be nipped in the bud with a heavy hand. I have no doubt that the new chief will do so as his predecessor has done.
I have known both Generals for many years and have the greatest respect for both. Let me cite an example that will perhaps showcase the thinking and makeup of the new chief. About a year back, I had a brief halt at Kolkata. Over a drink that General Bikram Singh had graciously organised, I had asked him what he was planning to do about the date of birth issue that had already started appearing in the media.
His spontaneous reply was, ‘If it is my luck, I will command the army but if I am not lucky, so be it; I will not do anything that will show the army in any adverse light!’
Although the outgoing chief has been accused by some of rocking the boat, my firm view is that the boat needed to be rocked vigorously. He has exposed corruption in the defence ministry, the defence PSU’s and the arms mafia that was short-charging the army and the nation.
The meager funds available for modernisation of the armed forces were siphoned off and shared by corrupt officials and others. The chief had also undertaken to improve the internal health of the army, which he has carried out with missionary zeal and spared no one, senior or junior.
The transformation of the army is another long outstanding measure that has commenced. The new chief will need to pursue them with vigour. The bottom line is that we now have to throw away all the negatives of the past and support the new chief in taking the army to even greater heights.
The writer is a former Vice Chief of Army Staff
Set aside differences and support new army chief

Bikram Singh vows to address concerns on Army's modernisation

Press Trust of India / New Delhi May 30, 2012, 19:55
Lt Gen Bikram Singh will take over as the new Army Chief tomorrow with a resolve to strengthen the work culture of the force and address the "hollowness" of the modernisation process.
Observing that Army's warfighting capabilities get adversely impacted due to prolonged deployments in internal security situations, he said the force will continue to provide help in training to the central armed police forces (CAPF) to deal with internal security situations. "My priority would be to ensure operational readiness of the force... Then to address the hollowness and ensure the modernisation process proceeds as per stipulated timeline and to strengthen Army's work culture and core values," Lt Gen Bikram Singh said in an interview with Defence Ministry's journal 'Sainik Samachar'.
"All commanders must endeavour to create a climate during their command tenures that hinges on our cherished core values, professional ethos and is conducive for growth and cohesion," he said.
The incoming Army Chief said the force was "fully prepared to face and counter any external threat and deal with internal security challenges."
Commenting on the assistance provided to the CAPFs by the force, Lt Gen Singh said till March this year, the Army has trained 70,000 personnel from CAPF and state police forces including 38 battalions of the CAPF in counter insurgency operations.
"140 Assistant Commandants of various CAPFs have undergone six months attachment with Army units in CI operations and another batch of 120 officers was presently undergoing attachment. Our endeavour is to make these junior leaders proficient in handling their units in sub-conventional war fighting areas," he said.
Bikram Singh vows to address concerns on Army's modernisation

Army Chief General VK Singh retires

Army Chief General VK Singh retires, lays wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti
NDTV Correspondent | Updated: May 31, 2012 11:28 IST
New Delhi: General VK Singh retires as army chief today. His term began in May 2010. General Bikram Singh will replace him as the Chief of the Army Staff today.
The out-going chief laid a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti, a memorial for the Indian soldiers. He will then be given a guard of honour in the lawns of South Block. After this, he will be treated as an ordinary citizen.
General Bikram Singh will formally begin his tenure a little after 11 am.
General VK Singh's last year in office saw an unprecedented tension between the government and the army. General Singh became the first serving chief to take the government to court to demand that his records be corrected to reflect that he was born a year later than documented in some papers. He dropped his case in the Supreme Court after judges indicated they would not rule in his favour. Had he won his case, General VK Sing would have been eligible for another year in office.
In the last three months, a confidential letter from him to the PM, warning of serious deficiencies in the equipment used by the defence forces was leaked. General VK Singh has said that the leak was not orchestrated by the army. Early inquiries by the Intelligence Bureau seem to support this. Another whopper of a storm was created when General Singh said in an interview that he had been offered a bribe of Rs. 14 crores, just months after he took office, to clear "sub-standard" trucks for purchase by the army.
General VK Singh also faces a defamation suit for a press release that he sanctioned earlier this year which alleged that a retired officer, Tejinder Singh, had circumvented guidelines needed to order of-the-air monitoring equipment. The same statement said that Tejinder Singh was offering bribes on behalf of Tatra and Vectra, which supplies trucks to the army. The press release was issued amid reports that the army had tried to spy on the Defence Minister's office in the weeks before General VK Singh took the government to court. Tejinder Singh has sued the army chief over the press release. And 24 hours before he retired, the Defence Ministry authorized a detailed inquiry into the incident, suggesting that the confrontations between General VK Singh and the government will continue.
Army Chief General VK Singh retires, lays wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti

Panel Discussion on Gen VK Singh's Tenure

The link for the Panel Discussion on 30 May, 2012 is under:
Is Gen VK Singh a Crusader? Click here for the Video
If you have the time and have not seen it, do see and listen.
Comment
Gen Vijay Oberoi and Brig V Mahalingham tried to put up the Military in the right perspective. Whereas Gen Raj Kadyan and Shankar Prasad tried to beat about the bush and overly tried to please the Panel Anchor and the Directors of NDTV- who are dependent on arms lobbyists to pump in a lot of money to the media by way of ads and sponsorships.
Must read articles by Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi New Chief Takes Over: Click here

MOD, MHA, PMO and CBI go slow tactics on Scorpene Deal Scamsters

CBI awakes from Naval war-room slumber
Vinay Kumar, Sujay Mehdudia
NEW DELHI, May 31, 2012
Five months after allegations surfaced that businessman Abhishek Verma may have stashed away millions of dollars linked to a 2006 defence scandal in overseas banks, the Central Bureau of Investigation has finally moved to seek details on the case from a key witness in the United States.
Highly-placed sources told The Hindu that the CBI has assigned a Deputy Inspector-General of Police to get details on the transactions from New York resident C. Edmond Allen, who was once Mr. Verma's lawyer and business associate, about funds escrow account of a firm in New York.
In letters written to the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) chiefs early this year, Mr. Allen alleged that Mr. Verma had parked $410 million in overseas banks. Mr. Allen, who handled Mr. Verma's funds from April 2000 to February 2004, refused to return the funds, citing the U.S. anti-corruption laws — sparking off litigation between them in New York.
The CBI did not respond to questions from The Hindu seeking an explanation for the prolonged delay in seeking this information. There is also no word on whether Mr. Verma has yet been questioned on the allegations.
In voluminous documents sent to the CBI and ED chiefs in January-February 2012, Mr. Allen, also a real estate consultant based in New York, alleged that Mr. Verma was involved in money laundering, illegal dealings with defence manufacturers, forgery and tax evasion. He also levelled charges against Mr. Verma that referred to bids to manipulate trade policy to benefit certain foreign defence firms. Mr. Allen claimed he had drawn Defence Minister A.K. Antony's attention to Mr. Verma's activities, which he alleges had national-security implications.
The CBI had, more than five years ago, charged Mr. Verma with receiving over Rs. 6 crore to bribe officials for details of upcoming defence deals. Its present probe is intended to see whether the contested funds in New York could be linked to his alleged work on behalf of international arms firms.
According to the documents, Mr. Allen formed Ganton Limited in the U.S. in 2005 to invest in India in the real estate and defence sectors. Ganton Limited later opened Ganton India, which employed Mr. Verma's Romanian friend Anca Neascu and Gili Golan, a friend with an Israeli passport.
The two men fell out in 2011, and Mr. Verma sent a letter to Mr. Allen asking him to return $ 410 million earlier deposited with him as per agreements of April 2000 and February 2004. A complaint filed by attorney Lynn Judell on behalf of Mr. Verma in the South District Court of New York, said Mr. Allen refused to return the money.
CBI awakes from Naval war-room slumber
Contrast this with speedy trial of Insider Trading Scamsters in NY
Rajat Gupta defense takes aim at trader's credibility
Scorpene deal scam
Born into an influential family, Mr. Verma's parents were Congress parliamentarians. His father Srikant Verma was a well known Hindi writer and journalist who later became Congress MP and spokesperson. His mother Veena Verma was also a Congress MP. Mr. Verma himself founded a business with interests in the aviation and defence sectors, and was listed by a prominent magazine as one of India's youngest billionaires. Abhishek Verma had spent more than a year in Delhi's maximum security Central Tihar jail, but photographs circulated by Mr. Allen show that he managed to get mobile phones and other luxury items inside jail for his use. Sources close to Mr. Verma dismissed such charges as being “false,” but did not offer an explanation for how he had obtained a mobile phone in prison.
Click here to read more...
Tailpiece
The Scorpene deal scam is one of India's largest bribery corruption scandals, in which Rs. 500 crore (about USD 10 mn) is alleged to have been paid to government decision makers by Thales, the makers of the Scorpene submarine. The amount was channeled via middlemen such as Abhishek Verma. Also involved was Ravi Shankaran, a relative of the then chief of navy staff Arun Prakash. He is the prime accused in the Navy War Room spy scandal. The investigation moved very slowly. In 2007, Prashant Bhushan of the Centre for Public Interest Litigation filed a petition with the Delhi High Court to investigate whether there had been kickbacks in the Scorpene submarine deal. The High Court took a strong line with the investigating agency, saying "We feel dissatisfied with that you've done so far. If you've tried to shield someone, then we will come down very heavily on you". In October 2005, defence minister Pranab Mukherjee approved the Rs 19,000 crore submarine deal with French company Thales. Scorpene submarines are now being built in India under a technology transfer agreement that was part of that contract.
Question: Who are the beneficiaries of Money Laundering and Bribes? Still in the dark not investigated!

Scamster defames a hero?

Probe ordered on defamation plea against Army Chief General VK Singh
Reported by Sudhi Ranjan Sen | Updated: May 31, 2012 01:04 IST
New Delhi: Fading away into the sunset, like many of his predecessors, isn't an option available to General VK Singh, who arguably is the most controversial Chief of Army Staff in contemporary Indian history. Defence Minister AK Antony today asked the Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma to examine whether action can be initiated against Army Chief General VK Singh for violating the Army Act of 1950 and defaming former retired Lieutenant General Tejinder Singh.
Retired Lieutenant General Tejinder Singh left the army about two years ago as the head of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
On March 5 this year, the Indian Army in an official statement had said that retired Lieutenant General Tejinder Singh, who had allegedly benefitted from the Adarsh Housing scam, was not only planting reports in the media but had even tried to bribe the Army Chief for clearing a file relating to purchase of a tranche of 600 "sub-standard" Tatra trucks.
Also in the same statement the Army had then claimed that the former DIA chief had bought off-air monitoring machines - gadgets that can snoop on mobile conservations - without proper authorisation.
Retired Lieutenant General Tejinder Singh had subsequently moved the court alleging that he had been defamed and therefore action should be initiated against the Chief of Army Staff. The Delhi High Court and a trial court have so far refused to summon General VK Singh. However, the Delhi High Court had observed that disciplinary action could be sought against the officers and General VK Singh for the issuing the press release. Following these observations, General Tejinder Singh had asked the Defence Ministry to initiate action against the outgoing Army Chief.
Mr Antony today asked the Defence Secretary Shashkant Sharma to examine the complaint of Retired Lieutenant General Tejinder Singh and initiate action, if any, required. Sources tell NDTV that in all probability the government - which has been embarrassed by General V K Singh in many occasions in the part - is likely to swing in favour of General Tejinder Singh's initiative.
Probe ordered on defamation plea against Army Chief General VK Singh
Comment: MOD's swift action is to shift focus and keep the skeletons safe in its cupboards lest it spills out. MHA will give it all the physical support... there are many more Retired Generals who have taken bribes from arms lobbyists shivering in their boots... Gen Tejinder Singh has all the supporters lined up... PMO and MHA would like the New Chief to seal all the skeletons. Will the Chief oblige the MOD, MHA and PMO?

Voice of the Indian Army: Gen VK Singh is a true Hero

Wednesday, May 30, 2012
An enemy­ that is our own..­. A Meaningful letter from Sub Maj & Hony Lt Kameshwar Pandey

Dear and Respected Sirs and Colleagues,
To concur and side with newspapers, magazines and television channels, whose own credibility is dubious and questionable, is rather unfortunate. A large part of the mainstream media is known to have shady allegiance or some sort of backstage arrangement with political parties and vested interest groups. And concordantly, more often than not, it seems, the so called experts and panelists who are called for interviews and opinions are nothing but pawns of either the government or someone powerful.
What is even more unfortunate is the fact that some of our own senior veterans have defaulted and turned over to the dark side. Knowing all along that their actions are against the very oath that they took when they first donned the uniform - to protect and serve the nation and its people.
I am not sure what honour and prestige of the institution you are talking about. What institution and what prestige? The masses of this country neither trust their government nor any other government agency. Judges, prime ministers, ministers, the CBI, the police and the list is endless. And so is the list of their infamous track records.
In these deteriorating times, Gen VK Singh is a true hero. He has shown all of us the true colours of the present government including its administrative officers, ministers, judges and even the prime minister. He has displayed the confidence and the courage to show the true state of affairs of this weakening administration, its corrupt departments and its failing systems. And that deserves respect and admiration from the military community as well as from the citizens of this great nation.
If these so called leaders, whom we are supposed to follow, are so apathetic to our emotions then its indeed unfortunate for the country. In these changing times, we will have to adjust the sails according to the winds. None of our actions or policies should reflect that we are siding with this corrupt administration. In the name of honour, dignity and code of conduct, if we are indirectly helping those who are destroying the country, we are killing our own reputation as the military being last bastion and the protectors of the sovereignty of the country.
It is a well known fact amongst military ranks that the privileges of the military have been continuously going down ever since we gained independence. And the current state of affairs is so pathetic that JCOs and ORs are meted out a treatment no more than that of labourers. The recruits that join the military now are well educated and can think for themselves. They can understand the difference between serving the country and serving corrupt politicians who do not respect their generals, let alone respect them.
What respect will the future Army Chief command if he is already amidst controversies even before taking office? Is he the only option the Army has? Is there no potential Army Chief with a clean service record and no previous controversies? Or is the government selecting a chief who will be party to their schemes and plans for god knows what evil purposes! If the service chiefs do not fight for the dignity, respect and welfare of the men and women serving the military, a time may come when they will have no control on such a large force and that can be truly dangerous. And some gentlemen who think Gen VK Singh is guilty of letting the army down are sadly mistaken. What is most important for all of us right now is our unity and awareness. Awareness is an absolute requirement for true freedom. The great martyrs like Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar and Subhash are screaming right in our faces urging us to join this second battle for freedom and justice. To not weaken this movement with undue and unwarranted negative remarks.
What Gen VK Singh started - a fight against the cancer that is eating the Army from the inside - was supposed to be followed through by the next chief but that does not seem likely. Gen VK Singh had the courage to point out what is right and what isn't and that did not go down well with the government. With him gone, we have little hope unless the military community gears up to cast out the bad fish which are rotting the whole pond.
Gen VK Singh Sir ! HATS OFF TO YOU.
This time the enemy is our own and that is why the battle is twice as hard.

I will quit public life if graft charges proved: PM

Rejecting Team Anna's allegations of corruption against him, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared he will quit public life if the charges on coal block allotments are proved. "It is unfortunate that irresponsible allegations relating to irregularities in allocation of coal blocks are being made without confirming facts. "I will give up my public life if allegations are proved against me. My long public career as Finance Minister, as Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and now as Prime Minister has been an open book," Dr Singh told reporters on his way back from Myanmar.
"If there is any iota of truth, I will give up my public life. At the same time, the public should make up its mind whether this kind of politics will rule the roost in India," Dr Singh said.
This is Prime Minister's first reaction to Team Anna members Prashant and Shanti Bhushan's allegations last week accusing him of corruption for the first time when they referred to a draft CAG report on allocation blocks when he held charge of Coal ministry. He also termed as "unfortunate and irresponsible" the corruption allegations levelled against him and 14 of his ministerial colleagues by Team Anna.
I will quit public life if graft charges proved: PM
Rejecting Team Anna's allegations of corruption against him, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared he will quit public life if the charges on coal block allotments are proved. "It is unfortunate that irresponsible allegations relating to irregularities in allocation of coal blocks are being made without confirming facts. "I will give up my public life if allegations are proved against me. My long public career as Finance Minister, as Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and now as Prime Minister has been an open book," Dr Singh told reporters on his way back from Myanmar.
"If there is any iota of truth, I will give up my public life. At the same time, the public should make up its mind whether this kind of politics will rule the roost in India," Dr Singh said.
This is Prime Minister's first reaction to Team Anna members Prashant and Shanti Bhushan's allegations last week accusing him of corruption for the first time when they referred to a draft CAG report on allocation blocks when he held charge of Coal ministry. He also termed as "unfortunate and irresponsible" the corruption allegations levelled against him and 14 of his ministerial colleagues by Team Anna.
I will quit public life if graft charges proved: PM

Comment
Every citizen in the Nation knows that Manmohan is the cleanest PM we had since Independence. What amazes citizens is how under his watch scumbags rule the roost. Public money is swindled by one an all- politicians and bureaucrats. The Redeeming Factor is that there is a small percentage of Politicians and Bureaucrats who are Patriots and hence the country is just managing to survive in the world polity as a democracy. Just watch how State Governments and its machinery loot the treasury.

Is Lt Gen Satish Nambiar Mouthpiece of MOD?

Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses

IDSA is funded by the Indian Ministry of Defence
Lieutenant General Chenicheri Satish Nambiar is an Indian general who achieved international recognition as the first Force Commander and Head of Mission of UNPROFOR, the United Nations Protection Force in the former Yugoslavia, between March 1992 and March 1993. He is the elder brother of former UN Under-Secretary-General Vijay Nambiar who has been in the UN since 2006. Since his retirement from the Indian military, Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Nambiar has been actively engaged in the study and analysis of UN peacekeeping operations, national security matters, and international relations. He was elected to the Council of the United Service Institution of India in 1995 and became the director of the Institution in 1996. Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Nambiar is on the International Advisory Council of the Folke Bernadotte Academy in Sandoverken, Sweden. Since September 2002, he has been advising the government of Sri Lanka on certain aspects of the Sri Lankan peace process. In 2003, he was nominated by the Secretary General of the United Nations to serve on a 16-member, high-level panel set up to study global security threats and recommend measures for effective collective action. Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Nambiar is also a life member of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses and an associate member of the India International Centre, both in New Delhi.
Tail Piece
Lt Gen Retd P N Hoon in citibank fraud case. .... Ashok Mehta sermonising on the idiot box about ethics and morality in ... Many people in the Army are fully aware that Mehta was court martialled and dismissed from service... remember Adarsh, Tatra and Sukhna scamsters... law is yet to catch up with them...
Comment: Should Retired Generals be privy to corruption, support money launderers and arms lobbyists? ESM Governing Body should confine themselves to Veteran welfare measures and not become idiot box commentators... Retired armchair Generals seldom delve on real time welfare issues of the Veterans but spend their lifetime spinning money through all conceivable means... all their analysis will come to a nought when China annexes our territory and their eyeballs will roll to another target...

Hockey: National Game on Death Row

Gen VK Singh launches Col Balbir’s autobiography. Tuesday, 29 May 2012 13:51
New Delhi: Indian Army Chief General V K Singh, on Monday launched the autobiography of 1968 Mexico Olympic medallist, Col. (Retd) Balbir Singh Kular in the city. Christened as ‘Sansarpur to London Olympics’, by 1968 Mexico Olympic medallist and current national selector Col. (Retd) Balbir Singh Kular becomes, first book to be available for both computer and mobile downloads.
Published by Indian Sports Books and by using the technological brilliance of handygo Techcnologies, this book attempts to reach out to Indian hockey fans world across through online and digital formats as well.
“Sansarpur to London Olympics”, co-authored by sports film maker Sunil Yash Kalra, is a unique book of personal memoir, with interesting compilation of stories, funny anecdotes, sensational revelations and heart-warming vignettes of his life in the Army and as a hockey player and coach. The book is a treasure-trove of rare photographs, some of which date back to the days of the ‘Wizard of Hockey’, Maj Dhyan Chand. In places it reads like a thriller, at others like an intimate autobiography. All in all a thunderously good read, almost unputdownable!
1968 Olympic medalist, Col Balbir Singh Kular hails from Sansarpur, a village in Punjab that has produced 14 Olympic medallists since 1932 US Olympics. Right from an early age, Col Balbir Singh was obviously marked for greatness; his upbringing at Sansarpur – the matrix of Indian hockey in the halcyon days of global supremacy – aided by his inimitable genes, burning desire to emulate his forefathers, and his induction into the Indian Army all combined to catapult him to stardom.
Gen VK Singh launches Col Balbir’s autobiography

Adarsh scamsters gang up to gun for Gen VK Singh

MoD bugging row: Tejinder Singh to move Delhi HC against Army chief General VK Singh
Continuing his fight against the outgoing Army chief General V.K. Singh, Lieutenant General (retired) Tejinder Singh would approach the Delhi High Court on May 28, sources said on Friday.
Tejinder claims to be in possession of a sting CD, which according to him would prove allegations he has made. He claims that the CD has evidence that off air interceptors were imported by the military intelligence.
He alleges that it was done at the direct instruction of the Army chief and the equipment was used to bug ministry of defence (MoD) officials and other government VIPs.
Tejinder further says the sting CD would prove that Rs.8 crore was spent on the instruction of the chief of Army staff (COAS) from the Army's secret fund for the purpose. He claimed he would substantiate his allegations with affidavits from two retired generals.
The retired officer would also demand an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into his allegations.
Tejinder had on Thursday suffered a setback after the Delhi High Court refused to direct the Centre to take back a press release of the Army alleging that he had offered a bribe to the Army chief in connection with a defence deal.
Prior to that, on May 10, Tejinder had to withdraw his case against Gen Singh from the Supreme Court wherein he had sought a CBI probe against the Army chief for alleging that he had offered bribe to him.
Read more at: Click here for the original post
Comment: Does Tejinder Singh has a Godfather in MHA for the sting CD? Is the Arms lobby paying the media?

Reservation for defence personnel in educational institutes

Antony for hike in defence quota in educational institutions
Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 28, 2012
With the number of ex-servicemen and consequently their dependents increasing day by day, Defence Minister AK Antony has sought an increase in the number of seats reserved for wards of serving and the retired defence personnel in educational institutes.
In separate letters written to Minister of Health and Family Welfare Gulam Nabi Azad and Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD) Kapil Sibal, copies of which have been circulated to veterans’ associations for reference, Antony has pointed out that the present quota of defence seats is insufficient.
Antony has asked the health minister to consider increasing the existing quota to at least 100 seats in MBBS and 25 seats in BDS courses run in Central government medical colleges. At present, this quota is about 30 seats in MBBS and 2 or 3 seats in BDS courses. Similarly, the defence minister has requested the HRD minister to reserve at least two seats in all educational institutes and universities to effectively address the aspirations of the wards of the armed forces personnel.
Antony has stated that it has been experienced in many places that the provisions of reservation for wards of defence personnel have not been fully implemented, thereby defeating the very purpose of supporting them in their education. Further, the difficult service conditions in which wards of defence personnel grow have a bearing on their education too as they are often deprived of guidance and hence they require the government’s additional support.
Antony for hike in defence quota in educational institutions

Praful Patel and his family flogs the National Carrier to death

Mail Today Bureau | Mail Today | New Delhi, March 25, 2012 | UPDATED 16:06 IST
Praful Patel blamed for Air India woes
Praful Patel , Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, is accused of being the cause of Air-India's woes.
Lesser mortals may have fallen to government's official auditor and his sharp, probing reports. But the suave Praful Patel can hardly be counted as a victim.
The NCP leader shifted from the civil aviation ministry in January, 2011 to the heavy industries sector without much being made by the media of the scandalous decision to acquire 111 aircrafts for Air-India, a move questioned in the CAG's performance audit of the civil aviation sector from 2005 to 2010.
The CAG is also examining a report of the parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture on the 'Merger of Indian Airlines and Air India: its impact on the Civil Aviation' and criticised the civil aviation ministry for its "ill-timed" plan to merge Air-India and Indian Airlines. CAG's earlier report about aircraft acquisition is being examined by the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee where officers have apprised the members that the decision for the acquisition was taken at the "minister's level".
Patel, on his part, has maintained that the decisions, both to acquire the aircrafts as well as the merger of Air-India and Indian Airlines, were right. The fault lay with implementation that has left the national carrier in a state of penury. He now presides over a department that is empowered to decide whether Air-India is a "sick" unit. Who brought about this downfall is a case for the Head of sthe Council of Ministers to analyse.
Read more at: Praful Patel blamed for Air India woes
Air India deployed bigger aircraft for Praful Patel's family?
Comment: The high flying corrupt Aviation Minister is rewarded by being given another plum ministry which he can denude at liesure. Corrupt Ministers are rewarded and honest Ministers sidelined. Where is the accountability? Praful Patel exemplifies the type of Banana Republic which are ruled by Criminal Political Families- Family Run Governance more dreadful than the Moghul and British Empire...

Adarsh Scam: MOD gives notice to Land Grabbers

Hand over Adarsh land: Defence Ministry to Maharashtra government
NDTV Correspondent | Updated: May 29, 2012 00:09 IST
Mumbai: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has sent a notice to the Maharashtra government claiming the ownership of the land on which the Adarsh Housing Society is built. According to the notice, the land was taken by fraud, connivance between politicians, bureaucrats and defence officials, and that the Maharashtra government is illegally denying property to the Centre.
"The 31-storey building (Adarsh) has been constructed illegally and unlawfully. The MoD is the sole owner of the land. By fraud, collusion and connivance on part of Adarsh members, ministers and bureaucrats of the state government and officials from the defence ministry acting beyond their scope of authority, the land was transferred to Adarsh society," the notice claims.
The notice, which was sent to the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra, Registrar of Cooperative Societies and Adarsh society, also says that if the Maharashtra government does not reply within 60 days, the Ministry of Defence will file a title suit in the Bombay High Court.
"In a final attempt to avoid litigation, the defence ministry calls upon the government and Adarsh to reconsider their legal position and acknowledge title of MoD within two months," the notice reads.
However, last month, the judicial commission of inquiry looking into the Adarsh housing scam held that the land on which Adarsh Housing Society stands belongs to the government, and not the Army.
The state government had approached the commission a few months ago seeking an interim report on the points of title and reservation. A two-member panel was set up to probe the scam in January last year.
The panel, which submitted its interim report to the government on April 13, also held that the 31-storey high-rise was not reserved for war heroes and Kargil widows. When the Adarsh scam broke, politicians, bureaucrats and Armymen were accused of grabbing Defence land. The interim report had come as a vindication of the state's stand that it was government land and it was free to allot it.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Sessions Court is likely to pronounce its order in the bail hearing of the seven people accused in the scam today. They had filed bail applications saying the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had not filed its chargesheet even after the mandatory sixty days period from their date of arrest.
The accused in the Adarsh society scam include suspended Maharashtra Finance Secretary Pradeep Vyas, P V Deshmukh, Retired Brigadier MM Wanchoo, former Defence Estates Officer RC Thakur, Retired Major General A R Kumar, Retired Major General TK Kaul and former Congress MLC K L Gidwani.
Hand over Adarsh land: Defence Ministry to Maharashtra government
New move by Bureaucrats to grab Military Lands
Mod to Amend the Works of Defence Act, 1903

Media and Government declares honest citizens insane

Gen VK Singh, Anna, and the madness of fighting corruption
by Venky Vembu May 27, 2012
In his short, and eventful tenure as Army chief, Gen VK Singh has been called many names. Former National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra said Gen Singh had “lost his mental balance” – and should be sent on “forced leave”. On Saturday, Lt Gen Tejinder Singh, the man whom Gen Singh accused of having offered him a Rs 14 crore bribe to approve the purchase of Tatra trucks by the Army, repeated that venomous charge.
Lt Gen Tejinder Singh told CNN-IBN that in addition to the bribery charge that Gen Singh had levelled against him, he had made “several aspersions” against the Supreme Court as well. ”That clearly indicates that Gen Singh has lost his mental balance,” he said.
Media commentators too have taken snide potshots at what they see as an erosion in Gen Singh’s mental faculties. Karan Thapar believes that Gen Singh is “so powerfully propelled by his own demons” that he careening towards self-destruction. Likewise, columnist Rohit Bansal reckons that the general is in a “deeply disturbed condition and needs to “cool down” – failing which the government should send him to Pakistan, where he surely has a career.
Almost every one of these commentaries suggests that Gen Singh is so motivated by the overwhelming urge to redeem his personal honour (following the setback in the age row with the government) that he has become a loose cannon. They claim that Gen Singh is largely to blame for the perceived erosion in relations between the military and the civilian government.
Such a characterisation does colossal injustice to Gen Singh’s earnest – if perhaps excessively eager – effort to tackle corruption in the Army, and particularly in defence procurement. Right from his first day in office, Gen Singh signalled that he wished to restore the Army’s “internal health”. And if that meant going after the corrupt in his own Army fraternity, the good General hasn’t flinched from the hard task. In that spirit, he went after high-ranking accused in the Sukhna and Adarsh housing society scandals – and took on the arms lobby.
The demons that Gen Singh battled in that good fight were not in his mind; they were sipping single-malts in Army clubs, sealing arms deals at golf courses – and slithering spookily in the corridors of the Defence Ministry.
Any government that claims it wants to combat corruption everywhere, including in defence procurement, ought to have backed up Gen Singh’s efforts. Even if Gen Singh’s methods were somewhat over-the-top, his intentions in going after corruption were unimpeachable. And in his defence, he perhaps had to go over the top because of the level of entrenchment within the Army and the bureaucracy.
Yet, by planting venomous media stories besmirching Gen Singh’s reputation - including highly tendentious and too-clever-by-half reports of a suspected Army coup – the government has effectively shielded the arms lobby and the corrupt within the defence bureaucracy.
And now, we’re told, it’s all because Gen Singh has “lost his mental balance.”
This isn’t, of course, the first time that those who campaign against corruption have had their sanity questioned. Congress leaders have suggested that Anna Hazare too needed the services of a mental asylum.
Perhaps there is a subliminal message being conveyed by such commentaries.
Perhaps only a “loss of mental balance” can account for why Gen Singh didn’t accept the offer of a bribe made to him – when even the officer who offered it suggested that Army chiefs before Gen Singh had accepted such payments, and those after him would too.
Perhaps Gen Singh is mad – for even wanting to fight corruption, even to the extent of antagonising his follow-officers.
Perhaps the commentariat is right, and Gen Singh and Anna Hazare ought to be locked up in a padded cell, where they can rattle the bars all they want with their thunderous anti-corruption rhetoric.
Perhaps, as Akira Kurosawa said, in a mad world, only the mad are sane.
Gen VK Singh, Anna, and the madness of fighting corruption
Comment: Arms Lobbyists have the last say. Money buys media and bribes speak loudly. Honest and Patriots are declared insane. Only the corrupt remain sane... the dictum "blow with the wind" is taking the citizens for a ride... India's growth story is an empty balloon. Criminal Politicians are taking over the Nation's wealth which is hijacked by a few and the rest remain fighting for their safety and survival.
Vox Populi: What makes us proud
“To oppose corruption in government is the highest obligation of patriotism.” ― G. Edward Griffin... General V K Singh, Arvind kejrival, Kiran Bedi, Prashant Bhusan and Shri Anna Hazare are golden personalities who are being put through fire and muck incessantly and yet emerging unblemished and glowing. They are without doubt true Patriots. The response they are getting proves that there is no dearth of them in our country. That sure makes me a proud Indian.

Spooks in the Spy Agencies

Lieutenant General Tejinder Singh in fresh row over purchase of phone-tapping machines Reported by Nitin A Gokhale | Updated: May 28, 2012 15:46 IST New Delhi: After being under the scanner for allegedly offering the Army Chief a bribe, Lieutenant General (retired) Tejinder Singh could be in for more trouble.
NDTV has learnt that the government is now investigating an unauthorised purchase of five phone-tapping machines by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) in 2010. Lt General Singh was the head of the DIA when the purchases were made. The equipment was allegedly bought violating the guidelines of procurement.
Last year the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), which is under the Prime Minister's Office, had asked the DIA to explain the procurement. Sources have told NDTV that Lieutenant General Singh or his successor at DIA have failed to give a satisfactory explanation to the charges.
The monitoring equipment in question is used to for surveillance on mobile-phone conversations along the Line of Control (LoC) and international borders.
The allegation against Lieutenant General Singh comes after Army Chief General V K Singh accused him of offering a bribe a year and a half ago to influence a defence deal. One of the allegations made was that Tejinder Singh offered a bribe to General Singh on behalf of a company called Tatra and Vectra Limited. That matter is now being investigated by the CBI, which has recorded the Army Chief's statement and quizzed Tejinder.
Lieutenant General Tejinder Singh in fresh row over purchase of phone-tapping machines
Tejinder Singh's fortunes come a full circle

Rank Pay: Raw deal to the Armed Forces

Rank Pay - A letter by Lt Gen Satish Kumar Bahri to Mr Salman Khurshid, Hon’ble Minister of Law & Justice
I refer to your kind letter of 6 Jan 2012 wherein you had assured that you “shall do the utmost at my command” to persuade your colleagues to right the wrongs done to the Armed Forces. I did not bother you for the last four months as I understood that you would be busy with the elections in UP.
Not having seen any change in the attitude of the government I assume that you have been unable to persuade your colleagues to do anything in the intervening period, as they are in the hold of their respective bureaucrats. But I definitely expected that you would be able to ensure that your law officers do not play truant when matters concerning the soldiers are being progressed in the Supreme Court. The Rank Pay case on which the Court has already given a verdict on 8 Mar 2010 is being adjourned repeatedly due to the dilatory tactics of the bureaucracy who does not want the soldiers to get even their legitimate dues. I regret to say that your law officers are abetting them in this deplorable activity. Please take stock of the number of times they have sought adjournments either due to the government needing more time to prepare its responses or the law officer being busy.
The last two hearings were postponed, latest being on 26 Apr 2012, because the AG was busy on another case. Is this indicative of the way Govt denies justice, even after the apex court has given a verdict? I am enclosing a synopsis of the slow progress the case has made in the last two years after the Supreme Court’s verdict. I know soldiers are reconciled to getting gallantry awards posthumously, but surely you don’t expect them to accept their legitimate emoluments posthumously! Obviously, there are a number of widows also who survive their husbands and are affected by the insensitive behaviour of the govternment. But who cares! I was shocked to read in the newspapers a few days ago that in your state UP, the chief secretaries had got themselves sanctioned the post of a domestic servant and driver even after their retirement, after having colluded in the maladminstration of its hapless people. Shame on a country that hands out such a raw deal to its armed forces who are called upon to pull the chestnuts out of the fire day after day for politicians, bureaucracy, police, CWG and what have you. The country is aware that the last two services named pull out different kinds of chestnuts for the politicians and so have to be rewarded.
Mr Minister I seek your help in ensuring that this injustice is stopped as you do not need anyone else’s clearance. Our nation nearly tops the list of most corrupt countries and its mandarins are busy destroying the strongest and most vital institution in the country. They need to be reined in and made accountable to the nation. You may also direct your law officers to adhere to their code of conduct and not earn their fees for non-appearances. A couple of days ago I heard nearly everyone of our parliamentarians, on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Indian Parliament, say that democracy had survived in our country while it has or had disappeared in our neighbouring countries. Nobody believes that it has survived due their efforts which are totally geared to divide the nation along every possible faultline. It is entirely due to the sacrifices of the armed forces that democracy has survived here, despite all the bungling by the people in power to undermine it.
Mr Salman Khurshid
Hon’ble Minister of Law & Justice
402 A Wing, Shastri Bhawan
New Delhi 110001

Mr AK Antony
Hon’ble Minister of Defence
9 Krishna Menon Marg
New Delhi 110011

Dr Manmohan Singh
Hon’ble Prime Minister
7 Race Course Road
New Delhi 110011

Mrs Sonia Gandhi
Chairperson UPA
10 Janpath
New Delhi
Rank Pay - A letter by Lt Gen Satish Kumar Bahri to Mr Salman Khurshid, Hon’ble Minister of Law & Justice

Scamster Ravi Rishi destroys internal projections and assessments of both the Army and BEML

Former armymen, BEML staff fortified Ravi Rishi’s Tatra ring
TNN Apr 29, 2012, 06.33AM IST
NEW DELHI: Ravi Rishi, under investigation in the Tatra scam, had over the years employed a large number of former Army and BEML officers, who played a critical role in ensuring that the all-terrain truck contract ran smoothly for the past 25 years.
Among those employed by Rishi were at least two retired master general of ordnance (MGO) of the Army, senior Lieutenant Generals who had been ordering the purchase of Tatra trucks from BEML.
However, nobody raised a red flag over the retiring MGOs moving across the divide to join Rishi's Vectra Group.
According to Army sources, at least two former MGOs and a former chief of director general of quality assurance (DGQA), who too was a Lt General, have worked or are still working for Rishi. Besides, several other officers of lower rank are also working with Rishi, and ensuring that there is no hitch to the deal.
Lt Gen R I S Kahlon, who is no more, was the first MGO to join Rishi after his retirement. Another MGO Lt Gen A Sehgal and former DGQA Lt Gen Amarjit Singh have also worked for Rishi after retirement. CBI investigations have also thrown up names of many former Army officers, including Brigadier P C Das, Col Anil Dutta and Col Pushy Oberoi.
Sources said a similar trend has been noticed with regard to BEML too. Several BEML employees have taken premature retirement to work for Rishi. The extent of Rishi's influence in Bangalore was such that a former CMD of BEML joined the NRI businessman after his retirement.
According to sources, Rishi may have also hired some relatives of powerful people from the government and PSUs. Through such a network, Rishi had a virtual run of the Army and BEML and, consequently, a monopoly over the trucks' supply to the Army for over 25 years.
Sources said that there are inputs that Rishi's employees may have destroyed some internal documents of the Army and BEML after the CBI registered a case in the scam.
Rishi reportedly had access to many internal projections and assessments of both the Army and BEML, and these documents may have been destroyed.
Rishi had a virtual run of the Army and BEML and, consequently, a monopoly over the trucks' supply to the Army for over 25 years

New Chief and the Challenges

Saturday, May 26, 2012
Of Matters Military: New Chief and the Challenges
by Major General Mrinal Suman
Human memory may be short but institutional memory is eternal and highly sensitive to all issues that affect its health and standing. Therefore, institutional history is most unforgiving and never condones any act of transgression that brings disrepute to its character. Indian army as an institution is proud of its non-partisan disposition and well-evolved merit-based promotion system.
Devious tweaking of the system by a parochial Chief to ensure elevation of his protégé will always be remembered as a black episode in the history of the Indian army. In a hierarchy based organisation like the army, such transgressions have a complex cascading effect – the complete line of succession for higher ranks has been distorted. Many deserving officers have got left out.
End of May 2012 will see a change of guard at the apex of the Indian army. Assumption of the appointment by the Chief-designate will mark the triumph of parochialism over justice. Therefore, he will have to carry the burden of an acute guilt-complex. He knows that the environment is aware of the manipulations that facilitated his rise – the current incumbent has been deceitfully deprived of his full tenure and the careers of many brilliant officers who could have posed a challenge to his advancement were ruthlessly ruined.
To be trusted is the greatest compliment that a leader can earn. It flourishes on the credibility that a leader enjoys in his command. On the other hand, partisanship is an impropriety of the worst kind and erodes credibility of leaders and undermines their standing in the eyes of the led. Being a beneficiary of partisan dispensation, the new Chief will have to work hard to prove his impartial credentials. One wonders as to how he would muster moral courage to exhort troops to trust the organisation and have faith in the justness of the system. For a military leader, it is the most unenviable situation to be in.
Additionally, the new incumbent will be hard pressed to put up with many disconcerting situations. How will he face the outgoing Chief to accept the baton? Similarly, having usurped the appointment that should have rightfully gone to the Northern Army Commander, it will be tough for him to interact with him.
The present Chief will be going out on a moral high. Despite a massive slander campaign launched by the purchased media and some inimical elements, his reputation as an incorruptible leader and a professionally upright commander remains intact. Having faced the wrath of a corrupt, manipulated and prejudiced environment, he will be long remembered for his attempts at cleansing the system. The new Chief will have to contend with his predecessor’s unblemished reputation and live up to it.
Two serious cases are pending finalisation. A writ petition is pending in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court seeking an enquiry into his alleged involvement in a fake encounter that resulted in the death of an innocent person. He is also being accused of command failure during his tenure with the UN peacekeeping force in Congo and a court of enquiry is in progress. Conviction under either of the cases will make his position untenable.
Finally, one wonders if it has ever crossed the mind of the Chief-designate that it would have been far more honorable to retire as an upright Army Commander than to become the Chief through questionable means. History will never forget the conspiracy and the subterfuge that facilitated his elevation – turning the national motto ‘Satyamev Jayate’ on its head. It should never be forgotten that when history judges key players in retrospect, it is always unsparing and ruthless in exposing their misdemeanors.
New Chief and the Challenges
Major General Mrinal Suman
A highly qualified and experienced officer, General Suman commanded an Engineer Regiment in the Siachen Glacier area and was awarded the gold medal for being ‘the most outstanding engineer of the year’. He was the Task Force Commander at Pokharan and was responsible for designing and sinking shafts for the nuclear tests, for which he was duly honoured by the President of India. He superannuated in 2003. He heads Defence Technical Assessment and Advisory Service of CII and has also been directing their much acclaimed Defence Acquisition Management Courses, both in India and abroad. Being the first Technical Manager [Land Systems], he was closely associated with the evolution of the new defence procurement mechanism. Today, he is considered to be India’s foremost expert on myriad aspects of India’s defence procurement regime and offsets. He is a prolific writer and his articles are regularly published in a large number of journals. He is regularly invited to address various chambers, industrial delegations and seminars in India and abroad. He is often consulted by the policy makers. His views are also sought by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence.

Honest Prime Minister heads the most corrupt cabinet in the world

Team Anna charges 15 UPA ministers with corruption
Saturday 26 May 2012

Team Anna has accused 15 UPA government ministers including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister P Chidambaram, of corruption.
Team Anna launched a scathing attack against the UPA government for failing to pass the Lokapal Bill and served a fresh ultimatum to the PM to meet their demands or face another agitation on July 25.
In an open letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the anti-corruption crusaders alleged that since 15 out of 34 cabinet ministers had serious corruption charges against them, they would not allow Lokpal Bill to be passed.
Corrupted ministers in UPA: Team Anna
“There are serious allegations of corruption against PM, Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram, Vilasrao Deshmukh, Kamal Nath, Salman Khurshid, Kapil Sibal, Farooq Abdullah, SM Krishna, GK Vasan, Praful Patel and Sharad Pawar, they will not allow a strong Lokpal,” alleged Prashant Bhushan. “Several top party functionaries such as Mulayam Singh, Lalu Yadav and Jayalalithaa have been involved in scams, they will never allow Lokapal Bill to be passed”, echoed Kejriwal. The team urged the Prime Minister to initiate the formation of a Special Investigative Team to probe charges against the 15 corrupt ministers within six months.
Team Anna wants corrupt Ministers and Politicians investigated
Will the New Chief play a second fiddle to PM and its corrupt cabinet?
PM hosts farewell dinner for Gen V K Singh
Readers Response
With VK Singh out, the demise of India army will continue - We'll have COAS like Deepak Kapoor, focusing on grabbing land for themselves, rather than protecting the land they took an oath of protection to. - We'll have a whole bunch of army kids in foreign land - the kind that are there in Congo now (refer outlook story)- after a battallion of Sikh Li left behind a trail of kids with "distinctive Indian features" - By the way, the UN Forces Commandar, during the the time the Indian army unit was busy fathering kids, was Gen Bikram Singh - the next COAS ! - We'll see a sudden increase in gallantary medals - the kind that are obtained by splashing tomato ketchup on civilians posing for photographs (remember Col. Kohli's case) and fake encounters (remember Maj Singh case of Siachin encounters) - With an army composed of cowherds, land grabbers and what not, if Pakistan were to do another Kargil, they would probably reach Delhi this time. With VK Singh, the government had a chance to set the Army straight, but alas!
Click here for the original post

MOD gets screwed by PMO, MHA, MEA, CBI and the Congress Party

Age row: SC judge asked me to 'blow with wind', Gen V K Singh says The writer has posted comments on this articlePTI | May 26, 2012, 08.23PM IST
NEW DELHI: Five days before his controversial 26-month tenure as Army chief comes to an end, Gen V K Singh on Saturday voiced criticism of the defence ministry for "selectively leaking" information to "fix" him.
In a series of interviews to TV channels, the General also made no secret of his unhappiness with the Supreme Court where he lost a legal battle over his age in February. In an apparent reference to a remark by Justice R M Lodha, one of the two judges on the bench that heard his case, the chief said that a very senior apex court judge had told him to "blow with the wind".
"If all of us are going to blow with the wind then we will all become muggers, we will all become corrupt," he said, according to a transcript of his interview released by the Times Now channel.
Justice Lodha had actually remarked, "wise men are those who move with the wind. We take pride in having (an) officer like you. Credit must go to you."
In a separate interview to another TV channel, the Army chief said that he had withdrawn his petition on the age issue because the Supreme Court gave no no decision. "They tried to arbitrate. Then I realised that you are fighting a system."
During the interviews, Singh said it was not not "just lobbies" working against him, but "some people are trying to protect people who are basically doing wrong things."
Turning on the ministry of defence, he said that papers related to his age were "illegitimately" released. Some papers that should never have been released under RTI rules were released and this included a couple of pages which the ministry itself had labelled "top secret".
Asked if he was saying that he had been set up, the General replied, "obviously".
When pressed to state as to who was releasing the information, Singh replied that it was the ministry.
"Absolutely," the General answered when asked whether he was saying that information was being selectively leaked to "fix you".>
Barely concealing his anger over the leakage of his letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh complaining of deficiencies and shortages in the Army, the General said this was a "treasonable act". He then referred to a story, denied by the government, that a joint secretary-level officer in the Cabinet secretariat had been held responsible for the leak.
The General said that PTI does not not "manufacture" stories on its own. "So somebody must have told them, somebody authoritative enough".
The leakage was done "with a purpose to create an impression that Gen V K Singh is leaking it", he said, adding, somebody within the government "had some agenda". Asked if he would get into politics after he demits office on May 31, the chief replied, "I haven't decided anything." Told about the speculation that he may join yoga guru Ramdev, Singh replied " I don't think so. All this is speculative kite flying, to say the least. And I will not go with this kite flying." Referring to his allegation that retired Lt General Tejinder Singh had offered him bribe to clear a deal for Tatra trucks, the Army chief said he had informed defence minister A K Antony as per the services regulations.
Apparently questioning inaction by Antony then, the General said, "He (Antony) has ordered a CBI inquiry. It could have been done earlier."
On inaction on his own part, he said, "If he (Antony) had asked me to take action, action would have been taken. Be rest assured about it."
He, however, went on to add that because of Antony's "blessings" the file regarding the procurement of Tatra trucks was not cleared.
With regard to the controversy over his showcause notice to 3 Corps Commander Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, the Army chief criticised its leakage and suggested his involvement in it. "Who else will go (to the media)? The notice was signed by me and it is in the name of the officer (Suhag). Who else will handle it?... It was his responsibility to answer that showcause notice.... But without giving an answer, somebody goes to the press and shows the showcause notice," Gen Singh said when asked whether he suspected Suhag of having leaked the notice.
He said it was "morally unacceptable that a notice from a senior officer to a junior officer has found its way into media and started getting discussed".
Gen Singh has since put Suhag, who could head the force in 2014 by the current succession line, on disciplinary and vigilance (DV) ban, by which his promotion would be stalled.
Asked what if the government overturns his decision to put Suhag on DV ban, he said, "it will be government's decision, not mine. People will hold the government responsible for it."
Age row: SC judge asked me to 'blow with wind', Gen V K Singh says Veteran Voice
We laud Gen VK Simgh in attempting to clean up the corrupt system and redeem the image of the armed forces at large. There are scores of corrupt Generals (some retired) who must be brought to book. The arms lobby of India is very powerful they have agents planted in the PMO, MHA, MOD, MEA, Security agencies and many Politicians are in their clutch and speak their voice. Some ESM political organisations are sponsored by the arms lobbyists. Even postings of Senior Officers are affected through lobbyists. The Armed Forces must continue to fight this nexus and menace. One must remember that there are Criminal Politicians who want to win elections at the peril of the nation and the army. Most monies for electioneering is through money laundering cycle through the import of Weapon Systems (accumulated in Swiss and Similar Secret Accounts). The DRDO is a Dodo... The Indian Military is the Sucker always! The scams are too many to narrate here... as 2014 elections near MOD will resort to heavy dose of weapon imports... watch out for more lobbyists and scams...