Govt could have settled controversy internally: BJP

A day after the army chief moved Supreme Court on the issue of his date of birth, the BJP restricted itself to attacking the government for its “failure” in handling the matter. HT reports.

A day after the army chief moved Supreme Court on the issue of his date of birth, the BJP restricted itself to attacking the government for its “failure” in handling the matter.

After consultations among top party leaders, BJP's chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “The Government of India has displayed a serious failure of statecraft in the handling of the age-related matter of the army chief.”

He said, “The army is a very important institution of India about which the entire country is proud. This sensitive matter ought to have been handled properly by the government internally, to the satisfaction of all concerned, instead of allowing it to come into open.”

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However, BJP leader Jaswant Singh, who was defence minister during the NDA regime, said the government handled issue in an "insensitive" matter, adding the Prime Minister or the defence minister could have sorted it out with him. “I am amazed at his (defence minister A K Antony's) incompetence and sheer folly of treating such a sensitive matter in an insensitive manner,” he told NDTV.

The former defence minister said Gen Singh was not seeking extension of service for the prize of office but only rectification of records. Asked if Gen Singh should resign now that he has approached the court, Jaswant Singh said “why should he. Is that what bureaucracy wants him to do?” Singh also said he was not not supporting the army chief as an institution.