New Delhi:
In his latest blog, senior BJP leader LK Advani describes as "extremely alarming" the newspaper report that two Army units moved towards Delhi without notifying the Government in January this year. The report, carried by the Indian Express earlier this week, has been described as "absolutely stupid" by the army chief, "alarmist" by the Prime Minister, and "baseless" by Defence Minister AK Antony.
Mr Advani says that the report reveals that the critical relationship between the government and the army is at an unprecedented low.
"If one reads the April 4 report thoroughly, and the several follow-up stories published on April 5, one would have to concede that the reports are extremely alarming," Mr Advani writes, adding "(it) does highlight how deep is the trust deficit pervading the establishment circles these days."
The Indian Express states that on the night of January 16-17, the army moved a mechanised Infantry unit from Hisar in Haryana and a sizeable section of the 50 Para Brigade from Agra towards Delhi. The report states that the government, which had not been informed about the exercise, was alarmed, possibly because the troops were moved as the army chief took the government to the Supreme Court over a dispute over his age.
Mr Advani says the Express report "has taken pains to dispel emphatically any sinister meaning being read into the story".
The BJP leader blogs that former Home Minister Buta Singh in 1989 tried to call in the Army ahead of dissolving the Lok Sabha after the Congress lost the election and Rajiv Gandhi was ousted as prime minister.
Mr Advani quotes from the autobiography of Romesh Bhandari, who was in 1989 the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. He says "Governor Bhandari may plead innocence. But the then Union Home Minister Buta Singh cannot. That he did initiate a move to call in the army on the basis of a concocted story becomes evident from the L.G's. own testimony."
Vijai Kapoor at that point of time was Chief Secretary of Delhi. The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi then was Romesh Bhandari
Mr Advani says that the report reveals that the critical relationship between the government and the army is at an unprecedented low.
"If one reads the April 4 report thoroughly, and the several follow-up stories published on April 5, one would have to concede that the reports are extremely alarming," Mr Advani writes, adding "(it) does highlight how deep is the trust deficit pervading the establishment circles these days."
The Indian Express states that on the night of January 16-17, the army moved a mechanised Infantry unit from Hisar in Haryana and a sizeable section of the 50 Para Brigade from Agra towards Delhi. The report states that the government, which had not been informed about the exercise, was alarmed, possibly because the troops were moved as the army chief took the government to the Supreme Court over a dispute over his age.
Mr Advani says the Express report "has taken pains to dispel emphatically any sinister meaning being read into the story".
The BJP leader blogs that former Home Minister Buta Singh in 1989 tried to call in the Army ahead of dissolving the Lok Sabha after the Congress lost the election and Rajiv Gandhi was ousted as prime minister.
Mr Advani quotes from the autobiography of Romesh Bhandari, who was in 1989 the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. He says "Governor Bhandari may plead innocence. But the then Union Home Minister Buta Singh cannot. That he did initiate a move to call in the army on the basis of a concocted story becomes evident from the L.G's. own testimony."
Vijai Kapoor at that point of time was Chief Secretary of Delhi. The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi then was Romesh Bhandari
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