Rajnath Singh welcomes former Army Chief General VK Singh
Former Army Chief General VK Singh, who was engaged in a bitter battle with the government over his age, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today and vowed that he would continue to serve the country.
Thanking party chief Rajnath Singh for inviting him to join the party, he claimed that "if there's one party that works in the interest of the nation, can strengthen the nation and provide a stable government and good governance, it is the BJP."
Along with General (Retd) Singh, a number of other ex-servicemen also joined the party today. "We, who have served on borders, should work with nationalist forces. So, we have decided to move with BJP to bring a government which is stable, strong and takes decisions for national interest", said the 63-year-old who retired in May 2012.
Before going to the party's office in the capital, General (Retd) Singh visited the Amar Jawan Jyoti memorial at India Gate where he told reporters he was joining the BJP to continue working for the country.
"All the people from the Army think about the nation only. I am going to continue to serve my country. I am joining a party which is nationalist and decisive and can take the country forward," he said.
When asked if he would contest the Lok Sabha polls, he added, "I don't know. The party will decide."
General Singh retired in May 2012, after a series of public run-ins with the government. One of them was his decision to sue the government for refusing to accept that his age was wrongly reflected in army records. If he had won, he would have been eligible for another year in office. He dropped his case in January 2013 after Supreme Court judges indicated he was likely to lose.