THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, April 26: Sacked Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat on Sunday reiterated that the BJP Government at the Centre was trying to communalise armed forces by facilitating a link between the party's defence cell of retired servicemen and serving officers.Taking part in a Meet-the-Press programme organised by Press Club here, Bhagwat said that no previous government had tried to interfere with the working of the armed forces. Earlier, if there were any differences between the Government and the services they were sorted out through discussions. He also alleged that George Fernandes was out to destroy the forces, which would ultimately lead to a Yugoslavia or Bosnia-like situation in the country.Thirteen months of BJP rule had done irreparable damage to the morale of the armed forces. Bhagwat said that all terrorist outfits in the country as well as LTTE had links with each other. They were also engaged in narcotics trade. Their modus operandi was the same. A Prime Minister and a former prime minister were assassinated within a span of seven years. How was this possible in a parliamentary democracy? How could we allow such a situation to develop in the country?, he asked.Coming down heavily on VHP and Sangh Parivar, Bhagwat alleged that VHP funds came from the USA. He said how Vishwa Bandhu Gupta, an Income Tax Commissioner in Delhi, had been shunted out for insisting on filing of income tax returns by VHP.Bhagwat reiterated the allegation that Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray had very close links with Dawood Ibrahim. He alleged that `narco-terrorism' was the base of Thackeray's money power. ``Despite his enormous wealth which he made through illegal means, he had not paid a single paise as income tax,'' he alleged.Asked whether he had evidences to prove allegations against George Fernandes and Bal Thackeray, he said that he would furnish it before an appropriate forum.Asked whether he would join politics, Bhagwat said that he would not survive even a single minute in politics.``I could not survive in an organisation like the Navy. Then how could I survive in politics,'' he asked. Top
