Jammu and Kashmir's ruling National Conference Tuesday threatened legal action against former army chief V.K. Singh if he failed to substantiate his allegations by revealing the names of state ministers getting money from the army.
NC provincial president Nasir Aslam Wani told reporters at the party's headquarters that after levelling such serious allegations, it was the moral and legal responsibility of the former army chief to reveal the names.
"If he fails to reveal the names of those ministers he alleges had been receiving money from the army in Jammu and Kashmir, then we would be left with no option but to file a defamation complaint against V.K. Singh," he said.
A written media statement circulated at the press meet said: "In light of the allegations made by retired general V.K. Singh, we the ministers and former ministers of NC strongly demand that the general should come out with names of all alleged recipients of money from the army.
"We have never ever compromised the integrity of offices we have held and have never received any money from the army as alleged by the general. Hence V.K. Singh's generalized remarks are absurd and far away from any truth.
"If the former army chief does not come out with the facts, we will deem his accusations and allegations as defaming us with mala fide and malicious intent and hence we will be compelled to take legal course of action."
The statement carried the signatures of senior NC ministers and leaders including Abdul Rahim Rather, Mian Altaf Ahmad, Chowdhary Muhammad Ramzan, Sakina Itoo, Mir Saifullah, Muhammad Akbar Lone, S.S. Salathia, Wani himself, Feroze Gurezi, Feroze Khan and some others.
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Wani also demanded that state Agriculture Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir, who has been named in a media report as having been paid to topple the state government, should resign till the time the matter was cleared up.
NC patron and union New and Renewable Energy Resources Minister Farooq Abdullah has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into Singh's allegations.
Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde also said in New Delhi Tuesday that Singh must substantiate his allegations by revealing the names of the ministers.