SRINAGAR: Accused of plotting to overthrow Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and paying money to one of his ministers to do so, former Indian Army Chief, Gen VK Singh, has claimed that there were other ministers too who received money from the Army.
This has been going on since India’s Independence, he told Delhi-based news channels during interviews.
“Army transfers money to all the ministers in Jammu & Kashmir … because there are various things to be done and ministers have to do so many things as part of the stabilizing factor in the state and for organizing various activities,” he told Times Now.
But he was quick to add: “May be not all the ministers but certain ministers and people who are given a certain sum to get a particular thing done.”
Gen Singh said the jobs involve “bringing stability to a particular area.”
“There are times like … who funded KPL (Kashmir Premier League)? Did the J&K government or Omar Abdullah fund it? The Army funded it,” he insisted.
“Kashmir is a different issue altogether. A lot of things are done where you do a lot of civic and youth work. For all this, money is needed. A certain amount of money is given for these works. Where is the problem?”
He was clearing things about allegations that he paid 1.19 Crore rupees to Ghulam Hassan Mir, minister in Mr Abdullah’s cabinet, to destabilize the state government.
Mr Singh said proper receipts were taken from anybody who was paid for any job.
“There are things which happen in J&K which are inimical to the country. We have a job — that is to keep the country together … If we find that we can help, that integrity can be maintained, if we find things can be done, then the army steps in.”
Talking separately to CNN-IBN, he denied that the army had any link with an NGO YES Kashmir which had filed a PIL against present Army chief Gen Bikram Singh in connection with an encounter in Kashmir when he was a Brigadier, apparently to scuttle his elevation to the top post.
