PTI
NEW DELHI
Reigniting the 2012 troop movement row, Congress leader Manish Tewari has termed as “unfortunate but true” a media report suggesting a coup attempt by General V K Singh, provoking a strong rebuttal by his own party and derisive denial by the former army chief.
Ruling BJP questioned the timing of the former Union minister's claim, but the latter stood firm on what he had said.
Replying to a question at a book release function here yesterday, Tewari virtually dug out the nearly four-year-old controversy from its grave, saying, “At that point of time I used to serve in the Standing Committee on Defence. And it's unfortunate but the story was true. Story was correct.” Tewari, who was Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting in the UPA government between October 2012 and May 2014, said, “I am not getting into an argument. All I am saying is that to the best of my knowledge that story was correct”.
The Congress leader was asked about media coverage of issues pertaining to defence forces as in the case of the Indian Express report on April 4, 2012, titled “The January night Raisina Hill was spooked: Two key Army units moved towards Delhi without notifying Govt.” V K Singh, now Minister of State for External Affairs, dismissed Tewari's allegation saying it has come from a “person who has no work these days”.
“He has no work these days. He should be asked to read my book which reveals everything (on the issue),” Singh said.
An embarrassed Congress, which had rejected the report when the controversy had erupted for the first time, dismissed Tewari's claim.
“I am again clarifying there is absolutely no truth in it (claims about troop movement in 2012). My colleague was neither a member of the Cabinet Committee on Security, nor any relevant decision making body,” Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said, adding some troop movements are necessary, “inbuilt and inevitable part of the defence mechanism”.
“It was inappropriate, unnecessary and completely wrong to suggest that there was any truth in those allegations when made,” he said.
Singhvi also warned Tewari against commenting on things he is not authorized to speak about.
“I wish to reiterate that and wish to request and advice on behalf of Congress party that such remarks and observations in respect to which he is neither the authorized spokesperson of the party nor the spokesperson on foreign and defence affairs, nor privy to any of the relevant committee or decision-making body should have been and should be in the future completely avoided,” he said.
“We on behalf of Congress very clearly and categorically want to deny this report,” another party spokesperson P C Chacko said.
