Jaswant defends Arun Singh's functioning

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, AUG. 21. The Government today expressed willingness to have a discussion on defence restructuring and on the implementation of the report by the Group of Ministers while seeking to put at rest the controversy over the functioning of Mr. Arun Singh, a special adviser in the Ministry.

Responding to the issue raised in the Rajya Sabha, the Defence Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, said the Group of Ministers headed the Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani, had given its recommendations based on the reports by four separate task forces, on internal security, border management, defence management and intelligence, which were set up to study the report by the Subrahmanyam Committee on Kargil.

The issue cropped up when Mr. Nilotpal Basu (CPI-M), sought to know about reports that Mr. Arun Singh was holding meetings with senior defence officials and proceeding with restructuring of defence services.

Mr. Jaswant Singh, said that Mr. Arun Singh had not violated any rules and had subjected himself to intelligence scrutiny and subscribed to the Official Secrets Act. ``He (Mr. Arun Singh) has subscribed impeccably to every requirement of law when it comes to Official Secrets Act and there is nothing he does is not directed by the Defence Minister to help him.'' The Minister said that Mr. Arun Singh was not appointed on a permanent basis. He said Mr. Arun Singh had volunteered to subject himself to intelligence scrutiny once again, after one in 1999 when he assisted the Government during the Kargil conflict.

Mr. Jaswant Singh said Mr. Arun Singh, who had withdrawn from public life completely, was asked by the Government to head the task force on defence management. Since he was associated with its preparation, the Government requested him to work on its implementation.

Similarly the Government had asked senior journalist, Mr. B.G. Verghese, to help the Ministry restructure entire information set up since they were not doing the job they were expected to do.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : National
Previous : SC seats in LS may go up by seven
Next     : Nod for bill to remove cap on FCI borrowings