'Pune land not for ex-servicemen or war widows as media projects'

“The land is not meant for ex-servicemen or war widows at all as it is been projected in the media”, Archana Dutta, President Pratibha Patil’s spokesperson, told CNN-IBN.

Dutta was on the show India @ 9 with Rajdeep Sardesai explaining why the President gave the defence land in Pune where her post-retirement home was being built. “Media’s projection that she is against the interest of the ex-serviceman and war widows has pained her the most”, said Dutta.

When Sardesai asked her if the President was giving the land out of personal hurt and not because she thought it was wrong to have such a large bungalow in Pune, Dutta didn’t give a clear answer.

Commander Ravindra Phatak, Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement, who was also on the show, made the point that the land can be used for the welfare of the soldiers. “In one of our units 800 men have only 12 accommodations. How pathetic can you get”, he said.

Phatak stressed that the government should release funds for the accommodation of the soldiers “so that your men who come back from the front can live with their families in a decent place rather than live in tin sheds”, he said.