'No differences with govt on age'

Army chief General VK Singh on Tuesday said he had no differences with the defence ministry over his date of birth controversy. Singh said the date of birth issue was a personal matter and had nothing to do with the organisation.

Army chief General VK Singh on Tuesday said he had no differences with the defence ministry over his date of birth controversy. Singh said the date of birth issue was a personal matter and had nothing to do with the organisation.

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Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an NCC event, Singh said, "It is purely a personal issue and I desist from making any public comments. When there were no differences (with the defence ministry) at any point of time, how can they be there now."

The army chief was asked if he was still considering moving the court to settle the age row. Gen Singh has been fighting a protracted battle to effect a change in his date of birth from May 10, 1950 to May 10, 1951. This could extend his tenure by almost a year and change the complexion of the army's hierarchy.

Singh, however, did not specify if he would seek legal recourse. The defence ministry had last month rejected Singh's statutory complaint to get his date of birth changed.

When pointed out that he had given interviews recently on his age issue, the army chief said, "That was part of army day fixtures. If somebody has breached the trust, you are there to ask... please ask your colleagues why it has appeared and what has appeared, I have got nothing to do with it."