PM, Antony hold meeting on age row

NEW DELHI: With the Defence Ministry and Army embroiled in the Army Chief’s age controversy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held a one-to-one meeting with Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesd

NEW DELHI: With the Defence Ministry and Army embroiled in the Army Chief’s age controversy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held a one-to-one meeting with Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday. The 30-minute meeting took place after the Cabinet Committee on Security’s meeting in the South Block. Even as the Defence Ministry officials claimed that the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister reviewed the security situation of the country, rumours were rife that the Army Chief’s age issue and his retirement also figured on the agenda.

The Defence Ministry and the Army had been involved in the protracted controversy. The ‘casual handling’ of the issue had evoked concerns from politicians and jurists, prompting the Defence Ministry from prohibiting its officials from commenting on the issue.

Antony has been refraining from talking about the issue in public terming it a sensitive issue. There had been speculation about V K Singh going to court or the Armed Forces Tribunal against the Ministry’s decision of maintaining his date of birth as May 10, 1950, on which are based his promotion as Corps Commander in 2006 and successive promotions.

However, the General had been claiming May 10, 1951 as his date of birth as being written in his school leaving certificate.

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