Army Chief, General V.K. Singh
New Delhi, 26 March 2012. In a recent interview to The Hindu, Army Chief, General V.K. Singh, said that a lobbyist offered him a bribe of $2.9 million in order to have a tranche of 600 sub-standard vehicles to be approved for purchase. He said the lobbyist was a man who had recently retired from the army, indicating how deeply the problem was entrenched. The General said he went straight to Union Defence Minister A.K. Antony and reported the matter.
He pointed out the fact that somebody dared to offer a bribe to the Army Chief shows how low the standards of integrity have fallen. More surprisingly the offer was made through an ex-army officer.
General Singh elaborated that the army already had 7000 of these vehicles which were sold at exorbitant prices without any service and maintenance support. Yet these vehicles continue to be sold to the army.
General Singh, said that the controversy over his date of birth arose as he had cracked down on corruption. “But things are fast unraveling and you will soon see the hand behind the drama. You will soon see who the sutradhar of the play is.”
