Capt Amarinder raps Gen VK Singh for distorting facts for political consideration
5 Dariya News (Rohit Kumar)
Amrtisar 27-Apr-2014
Former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today criticised the former Chief of Army Staff Gen VK Singh for distorting his statement about 1965 War with Pakistan and his role in it purely for political considerations.Capt Amarinder clarified that he had never said that he had saved Amritsar as it was Lt Gen Harbaksh Singh, the GOC Western Command who had saved it while he was his ADC during the 1965 Indo-Pak War.The former Chief Minister said, Gen Singh was not even in the army at the time of 1965 War. However, he should have known the facts by now particularly when he had also served as the Chief of Army Staff.Referring to the incident of 1965 when Gen Harbaksh Singh refused the command of his Chief of Army Staff Gen Chaudhary, Capt Amarinder said, India had learnt that Pakistan had a second Armoured pision which was planning to attack through Kasur which would cut off the main access at Beas.The Army Chief had asked Gen Harbaksh to abandon the defence line at Ichhogal Canal and fall back on Beas. He said, had Gen Harbaksh obeyed the COAS orders, Amritsar would have been lost. “That is why I said Gen Harbaksh Singh was the saviour of Amritsar and I was his ADC”, he said, while pointing out this he had said in context of his long relationship with Amritsar as he had spent 22 days here during the war.He said, these facts are stated in both the books, one written by Gen Harbaksh and the other written by him.Referring to Gen Singh’s statement over the delay in ‘One Ran One Pension’, Capt Amarinder remarked, “it is better to get it than not to get it all”. He said, during the last thirty years the Congress was not the only party in power and BJP and other parties had also been in power. “Why didn’t they do it?” he asked, while adding, now when Congress did it they are trying to find flimsy faults. He said, it is unbecoming of a former COAS to play politics on such an important decision which has been welcomed by all ex-servicemen be they retired officers, JCOs or jawans.