Army Chief General V.K. Singh has indeed dropped a bombshell, astounding the nation with the disclosure that he was offered a bribe of Rs.14 crore to approve the purchase of substandard equipment for the army's use (“More questions than answers,” March 27). Reports suggesting that the offer was made by an insider are all the more shocking. Do we need further proof that corruption is deeply rooted in the system? People have great respect for the army. But their faith has been belied. One only hopes that when our soldiers fire at the enemy, their guns don't ‘backfire.'
S. Suryanaryanan,Chennai
Defence Minister A.K. Antony's image has taken a beating with the Army Chief disclosing that he reported the matter to his superior immediately. Why didn't the Minister take any action till Gen. Singh went public with the bribery charge? Even if the general indicated that he did not want to pursue the matter, what prevented the Minister from ordering an investigation into it?
At the same time, one wonders why Gen. Singh remained silent all these days. The person who believed that an Army Chief could be bought for Rs.14 crore must have certainly offered bribes to officers earlier. The army procurement system needs to be audited thoroughly.
A. Thirugnanasambantham,Coimbatore
If Gen. Singh was wrong in not lodging a police complaint against the lobbyist who tried to bribe him Rs. 14 crore to clear a purchase deal, the action of the Defence Minister, “Mr. Clean,” who failed to initiate appropriate action after the matter was brought to his notice, is not exactly covered in glory. That a lobbyist could actually offer such a huge bribe to the Army Chief, saying people before him had taken money and people after him would also do so, is shocking. The Bofors scandal pales in comparison.
Tharcius S. Fernando,Chennai
Why did Mr. Antony not act when the General told him about it? The CBI inquiry ordered by him will serve only a limited purpose because the incident happened almost two years ago. The crime presumably happened in the Army Chief's office. There was no one other than the general and the person making the offer. This means the larger issue, of buying substandard vehicles, will remain uninvestigated.
J.S. Acharya,Hyderabad
Gen. Singh's revelation has exposed the nefarious nexus among politicians, bureaucrats and unscrupulous dealers.
The gradual awareness among people on the UPA government's style of functioning will one day snowball into an unprecedented protest.
Prasanta Kumar Bishoyi,Semiliguda
Gen. Singh's disclosure should be seen as a sign of his courage. It is the alleged crime that needs to be probed, not his intention. It has become a trend to harass whistle-blowers and probe their intentions. This is done to demoralise people from speaking up against corruption.
Sameer Kumar Gupta,Noida
