Singh accused the government of failing to ensure the security of India's armed forces. PHOTO: AFP
NEW DELHI: Controversial former Indian army chief, who had resigned from the military following a controversy over his age, on Saturday announced that he had joined the nationalist opposition ahead of looming elections.
India's massive armed forces normally stay out of politics, but retired General VK Singh had been tipped to enter the arena since resigning as the head of the army in May 2012, after being accused of altering his birth date to extend his service term.
Singh said he was joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), tipped to sweep the polls due by May, to "elect a stable, powerful government that can take decisions in the national interest".
The ex-army chief had been expected to become a BJP member after appearing last year at a rally with the opposition party's prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, where they addressed retired soldiers.
BJP backers are hoping Singh's support will bring votes from India's million-strong defence forces, an important constituency.
Several other former defence officers joined the BJP with Singh, who sought to rally the crowd with cries of "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan," "hail soldier, hail farmer."
Singh's relations with the scandal-tainted Congress government, which is struggling in opinion polls, were soured by the row over his birth date.
In an unprecedented move by a serving army chief, Singh dragged the government to the Supreme Court in a bid to prolong his tenure by nearly a year.
The trouble sprang from two sets of birth records held by the army for the former general. The court sided with the government in its view that the birth date, which made Singh older, should prevail.
After retiring from his post, Singh blamed the government for a host of problems during his two years as army chief including rows over dilapidated weaponry.
In his address at the BJP's headquarters in New Delhi on Saturday, Singh accused the government of failing to ensure the security of India's armed forces.
He noted incursions in recent months by Chinese forces along India's porous border.
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@Rakib: "Comparison with Eisenhower is misplaced. In the era of conscription every American President was an ex-soldier. " I would suggest, if you value your self-respect, that you Google what you present any assertion as "fact". After all, a man/woman is only as good as the word he/she mouths out. In this case, Google "US Presidents' Occupations".
Comparison with Eisenhower is misplaced. In the era of conscription every American President was an ex-soldier. It may be still so in Israel. Any case there is no evidence to suggest that back then Ike, though anti-communists, was with hardcore Christian Right, whereas BJP is certainly Right-wing Hindutva.. However, this is good development. Now that "DoB" Baba & his 40 Cronies-all ex-servicemen-have simultaneously joined BJP, the long suspected Saffronisation of Indian Army is at last out in the open. Yet another pretense of a "Secular" bastion falls! Faster the charade ends better it is for all..
@G. Din: You have a point and would concede.
@Raj - USA: "Army should stay away from politics " General Eisenhower was a Republican. Get rid of Nehruvian brainwashing. Soldiers are human beings, too and shall have "all the flaws" of human beings. Thank God for that. "Don't ask, don't tell" has never been successful.
@Vjay: Its an AFP article