No strain in relations between govt. and Army over age row: Antony
Date: Feb 17, 2012
New Delhi, February 17, 2012
Lessons have been learnt from the experience in the age row involving General V. K. Singh but there was no strain in relations between the government and the Army over the issue, Defence Minister A. K. Antony said on Friday.
The Minister also stressed that the country cannot afford to have such controversies in the future and already steps have been taken to avoid them.
“We have learnt lessons from it... There is no strain...Now what we are going to do hereafter in all armed forces as a whole is that we will ask everybody to strictly reconcile different documents so that this kind of conflict of views does not happen in future,” he said.
The minister was asked if there was any strain in the ties between the Defence Ministry and the Army after the developments in the Supreme Court where Gen.Singh withdrew his petition against the government on the age issue.
“This is a closed chapter now. This happened unfortunately due to two dates of birth in the Army... India cannot afford to have such controversies in the future,” Mr. Antony said.
The Defence Minister said the issue was a “closed chapter”. It should not be raked up again, he said.
Recently, the Defence Minister had said that he had full faith in the Army chief.
The Supreme Court had held on February 10 that the government’s decision on Gen. Singh’s date of birth as May 10, 1950, will apply to his service matters, forcing him to withdraw his plea contending that he was born a year later
