Captain bats for Gen: Row hitting Army

Birth date: Backs Army chiefs fight for izzat,attacks ex-chief Kapoor,blames Army politics.

The protracted stalemate between the government and Army chief General V K Singh over the latters age has acquired political dimensions, with the Congress state chief in poll-bound Punjab,Capt Amarinder Singh,backing Singhs fight for his integrity and saying he has the support of the vast majority of ex-servicemen.

In a strong letter to Defence Minister A K Antony dated December 17,Amarinder Singh said the controversy had taken a toll on the Armys morale. We have over eight lac ex-servicemen in Punjab,where this issue remains an active topic,as it is,I am sure,amongst ex-servicemen in other states as well. Needless to say,General V K Singh continues to get support of the vast majority, the letter said.

Attacking former Army chief Gen. Deepak Kapoor,Amarinder said that politics played a large part in creating the controversy to benefit a few individuals. The discrepancy in Singhs date of birth in Army records,the Congress leader said,seems to be part of some Army HQ politics geared to placing individuals in position to be future chiefs.

The defence ministry and the Army refused to comment on the letter and its contents. The letter was sent days before the defence ministry rejected the Army chiefs representation on the matter,after taking legal advice from the attorney general.

AICC spokesperson Manish Tewari,also a Congress leader from Punjab,has expressed concern over the dispute too,adding that he hoped that those in charge would find a modus vivendi temporary agreement.

Amarinder Singh,who is the frontrunner among Congresss chief minister hopefuls,described the Army chief as a soldiers general and said that for a soldier,izzat came above all. 8230;When that honour is questioned,he must fight for it. This,I believe,is where the Generals battlelines are drawn. I must also say,this is where I too,fully agree with him, he has written.

The Supreme Court has laid down that an individuals age is established by that given in his high school certificate. In the Generals case,this criteria is not being followed, Amarinders letter states. In their opinion in the case,four former Supreme Court chief justices also said that the matriculation certificate that mentions Singhs date of birth as May 10,1951,be taken as the correct proof.

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The Army Chief is now believed to be considering the option of moving the Supreme Court.

The controversy over the officers age arose when files were being moved to approve Singhs appointment as an Army commander. The Army had two different dates of birth in records May 10,1951,and May 10,1950.

The BJP has refused to be drawn into the controversy,with chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad stating that his party did not wish to comment on individual matters.