New Delhi, March 28
After embarrassing the government with his recent explosive revelation that he was offered a bribe by a retired army general to clear the purchase of sub-standard trucks, Army Chief General V. K. Singh has stirred a fresh controversy with a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in which he has drawn attention to the lack of army’s preparedness.

The March 12 letter, which was leaked to the media, has left the government in a tizzy as it has pointed to shortcomings in the army’s capabilities and that the force is ill-equipped to battle the enemy.

In the letter, General Singh has asked the PM to “pass suitable directions to enhance the preparedness of the army”, adding that the entire tank fleet is “devoid of critical ammunition to defeat the army tanks.” He further says that the Indian army’s air defence is 97 per cent obsolete and it “doesn’t give the deemed confidence to protect from the air.” The Army Chief also says there are “large-scale voids” in critical surveillance, night fighting capabilities and alleges that the Elite Special Forces are “woefully short of essential weapons.”

While the leak of a highly classified letter has evoked demands from the Congress and the Opposition that the general be sacked, the UPA government is wary of taking such an extreme step. Although embarrassed by General Singh’s missive, UPA sources said the contents of the letter did not constitute sufficient grounds for his removal. Issues of national security raised by the general, it was stated, will be “addressed and responded to”. According to a senior official, action can be taken against the General if it is proved that the letter was leaked by him which is a tough task. “No action can be taken unless some probe is done and it proves the General’s complicity in leaking letter,” it was stated.

UPA sources said before making the next move, the government has to look at the repercussions of its decisions. Removal of the Army Chief could polarise the force as the General has wide support in the rank and file and is considered an honest and upright soldier. The government’s task has become more difficult as the Army Chief’s fresh revelations have successfully shifted the focus from the controversy over his date of birth to issues of national importance like corruption and defence preparedness and are being raised through the media

Officials also pointed out that General Singh’s case cannot be this compared with the sacking of former Navy Chief Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat during the NDA regime. He was sacked for not complying with the decision of the appointment committee of cabinet (ACC) which was far more serious matter.

UPA sources explained that it is normal for retiring Chiefs to pen down their opinions to the Prime Minister but General Singh’s letter has creted a hue and cry because it has come into the public domain at a time when the army chief has fought a bitter battle with the defence ministry over his date of birth,dragged the government to court and followed it up with allegations that he was offered a bribe by a former army general

The matter will be discussed by the Prime Minister, Finance Minister, Home Minister and Defence Minister after tomorrow’s BRICS summit. The government top brass met today where it was decided to first talk to the General on his return from a scheduled visit to Jammu and Kashmir. The UPA top brass is hopes that the Army Chief will take a cue from the today’s Rajya Sabha proceedings and shed his combative stance. It will be keeping a sharp eye on his as the Army Chief is slated to address ex-servicemen in Gurgaon on March 30.