New Delhi: Congress on Tuesday sought to disapprove
of the remarks of former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh
over the age row involving Army Chief V K Singh.
"He (Amarinder Singh) had already clarified that this was
his personal view. Generally, politicians should not comment
on internal affairs of armed forces," AICC general secretary
Janardan Dwivedi said.
In a letter written to Defence Minister A K Antony,
former Punjab Chief Minister had supported the contention of
the army chief who is involved in a tussle with Government
over his date of birth.
Separate records show May 10, 1950 and May 10, 1951 as
the General's date of birth. The army chief has consistently
claimed that he was born in 1951 and not 1950 as maintained by
the Defence Ministry.
As his letter kicked a fresh controversy pointing to some
kind of a divide in the Congress over the issue, Singh today
issued a clarification saying he gave his opinion on the issue
only "in his personal capacity".
Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari sought to downplay
the controversy saying the matter should end now when Amrinder
Singh has clarified that these were his personal views made in
his personal capacity.
Tewari told reporters that Amarinder Singh "is a former
officer of the army who has his views on strategic and
military affairs and after he has clarified that he has
written the letter in his personal capacity, we should leave
it at that."
Tewari had yesterday expressed concern over the age
controversy.
He had said, "What is happening is definitely a matter of
concern. But I would not like to go into it. Those who are
charged with the responsibility or are dealing with the issue
should arrive at some kind of appropriate solution."
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, January 03, 2012, 21:50