‘Communal conspiracy’ seen in campaign targeting Army chief

Was there a “communal conspiracy” behind the rejection of Army chief Gen VK Singh’s claims in respect of his date of birth, with the intention to promote Lt Gen Bikram Singh as the next Army chief? That’s what a public interest petition filed by former Navy chief L Ramdas and others alleges.  The Times of India reports, citing the petition, that former Army chief JJ Singh oversaw an operation intended to pave the way for Lt Gen Bikram Singh to succeed Gen VK Singh. That succession plan would not have been possible if Gen VK Singh’s claim – that his date of birth was 10 May 1951 – had been accepted. [caption id=“attachment_262131” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“PTI”]  [/caption] Firstpost had reported on this “communal conspiracy” in July 2011 ( here ). RSN Singh of Canary Trap had noted then that the issue of Gen VK Singh’s age issue “was first raised in 2006, when the (then) army chief prepared a succession plan going downwards several levels. It is well-known that (the then Army chief) raked up the issue to ensure the passage of one of his favourites, apparently on sectarian considerations, to the office of COAS. In this case, he had planned for succession three interventions below” (emphasis added) That Firstpost report further noted: “Gen Singh took over as COAS when the army was bedevilled by scams, and he took it upon himself to arrest this decline in its image. This is one reason why opposition to him may be building. One senior officer, who stands to benefit the most if Singh is made to retire a year earlier, is said to be blatantly playing the sectarian card and was said to be lobbying indirectly with the law ministry. The ministry made a sudden volte face and threw its weight behind the 1950 birth date. Not to be left behind, one TV channel even claimed Gen Singh’s real birth date was in 1949 – but faced with libel action, the channel hastily backtracked" (emphasis added). That “communal conspiracy” angle now finds mention in the PIL that Adm Ramdas and others have filed. The PIL was filed to challenge the appointment of Lt Gen Bikram Singh as the next Army chief. The Times of India report states that the PIL suggests (without mentioning names) that Gen JJ Singh, who is now Governor of Arunchal Pradesh, evidently enjoyed support at the highest levels of the government, as otherwise the conspiracy behind the succession plan would not have succeded. The report quotes the PIL petitioners’ counsel Kamini Jaiswal as saying that “politicians have succeeded in dividing all institutions on communal lines.” A more recent analysis in Firstpost, also by RSN Singh of Canary Trap, offers a 360-degree perspective on the different players in the campaign against Gen VK Singh, and their interest in seeing him off. You can read that analysis here .