Army Chief's Allegation About Bribe Offer Very Serious, Says Advani

Ahmedabad, Mar 27: BJP leader L K Advani on Monday said Army chief General V K Singh's claim that he was offered a bribe of Rs 14 crore for clearing a ‘sub-standard' procurement order was a “very serious” issue and should be enquired into throughly.

“This is a very serous issue. It is a different thing to have a case of corruption in political sphere, but when an army chief is offered a bribe, it is a very serious issue,” Advani, who had come here for a function, told reporters.

“The matter should be probed immediately and the result should be brought in front of Parliament and the country,” he said.

The Army chief had claimed in a media interview that a lobbyist had offered him a bribe of Rs 14 crore for clearing a file relating to a purchase of a tranche of 600 “sub-standard” vehicles of a particular make.

The government has ordered an CBI enquiry in the matter.

In reply to a question on possible mid-term polls, Advani said, “This is a dysfunctional government and it is in the interest of the nation to have early polls. The situation is very uncertain.

This government is like a terminally-ill patient. But I have seen that a terminally-ill patient also survives for more time”.

Advani, along with Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated Navdeep residential complex equipped with modern facilities for senior citizens in Adalaj area of the city.

Both leaders also attended a meeting of Somnath Temple Trust here today whose president is former BJP chief minister Keshubhai Patel.