Congress demands dismissal of V K Singh from ministry

New Delhi: Congress on Wednesday sought immediate dismissal of Gen (Retd) V K Singh from the Council of Ministers over his tweets against next Army Chief Dalbir Singh Suhag, alleging that he had made "highly derogatory" remarks against the armed forces.

"Even after his own government has indicted him (V K Singh), the language used by him in a tweet this morning is highly derogatory. To call a next Chief of Army Staff a criminal and those working under him in the forces as dacoits is not acceptable.

"I hope government will take note of this and he will be dismissed from the Council of Ministers immediately," senior Congress leader Amarinder Singh, himself a former army man, said in the Lok Sabha.

Describing the 1.3 million strong army as the third largest in the world and a "highly disciplined force", he said promotion of people to become the army chief was done "according to seniority".

The Congress demand came a day after the government challenged the basis of then army chief V K Singh's decision to impose a disciplinary ban on Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag in 2012.

The former Army chief-turned-Union Minister of State sought to justify his action in a series of tweets. He tweeted: "If unit kills innocents, does dacoity and then head of organisation tries to protect them, should he not be blamed? Criminals should go free!! (sic)"

The Defence Ministry, in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, described V K Singh's action as illegal, extraneous and premeditated.