Date:16/02/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/02/16/stories/2006021604391300.htm

National

Survey only for database: Pranab

Special Correspondent

Army secular, apolitical; no scope for controversy

Scorpene deal not overpriced No involvement of intermediaries

KOLKATA: The Army is "secular and apolitical" and recruitments to it are not made on the basis of "caste, creed or religion," Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee told mediapersons here on Wednesday.

"There is no scope for controversy and the character of the Indian Army is not going to be changed."

The Minister was responding to the criticism by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of the Centre's decision to carry out a survey on Muslims in the Armed Forces. The survey, he said, aimed at creating a database. "The Navy and the Air Force have already provided data on the number of Muslims [in their ranks] and we are now taking up the survey in the Army, which had no such database till now."

Price cut on bargain

Mr. Mukherjee also discounted reports that India's deal for the French Scorpene submarines was overpriced. "Rather we bargained with the companies and are getting the submarines at Rs. 13,000 crore — lesser by Rs. 3000 crore than the price initially quoted."