Narendra Modi with former Army chief General VK Singh (L) during the ex-sevicemen rally in Rewari, Haryana on September 15, 2013.
Former army chief VK Singh has landed in another major controversy with his stunning comment that the army pays money to ministers in Jammu and Kashmir to maintain peace and stability in the state.
VK Singh should name the politicians who were paid. If details are given, we can investigate," Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde today said.
Jammu and Kashmir's ruling National Conference slammed the former army chief and called for a CBI probe into his claim.
"(General Singh) has made a terrible statement. It must be investigated - which ministers were paid by the army, for what work," said National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah. "The army has nothing to do with the funding of political parties. The army should be kept apolitical."
On Monday, General Singh had said in a TV interview that paying ministers was nothing new in Jammu and Kashmir, saying it was a means to "get people together in Kashmir".
The army, said the former chief, funded ministers for "certain tasks and activities" to bring harmony and stability in the state.
He was reacting to allegations that a secret intelligence unit set up by him had funded a minister to topple the National Conference-led government. The minister, Ghulam Hasan Mir, has denied the allegation.
The state's opposition People's Democratic Party alleged that the army had been known to help destabilize governments as well as install them.
"VK Singh's revelations are explosive but not to an ordinary Kashmiri. Our democratic history is full of instances when governments were toppled and broken, elections were rigged in 1987 and 2008, somebody decided Omar Abdullah should become CM, tactical rigging was done in 2008, by the participation of security agencies," said PDP leader Nayeem Akhtar.
The BJP has accused the Centre of targeting the former army chief for sharing the stage with Narendra Modi at a public rally on September 15. The event led to speculation that General Singh is on the verge of joining the BJP.