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Former Army Chief General VK Singh joins BJP

It is, however, not yet clear whether the BJP would field him in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls

V K Singh

BS Reporter New Delhi
Former Army Chief General V K Singh is beginning a new innings, in politics. He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday.
 
Gen. Singh said: " 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 in national interest." 

He expressed confidence that the enthusiasm of the servicemen will make the party stronger.
 
It is, however, not yet clear whether the BJP would field him in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

BJP president Rajnath Singh was present during the induction of V K Singh to the party.

The BJP chief used the occasion to attack the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, saying it has not looked after the armed forces well. In this context, he cited the recent mishaps involving the Indian Navy.
 
 
He also crticised the government over ceasefire violations by Pakistan, including beheading of two Indian soldiers, and intrusions by China.
 
The ex-Army chief who has earlier shared the stage with the BJP's prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi at an ex-servicemen’s rally in Rewari in Haryana is reported to have met the party's chief  Singh recently.
 
Singh had caused a flutter when he revealed that he was offered Rs 14 crore as bribe to clear the purchase of vehicles for the forces. 
 
His tenure as the Army Chief was marked by a controversy over his age. He became the first serving chief to drag the government to the court over his age issue which was decided in favour of the government by the Supreme Court.

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First Published: Mar 01 2014 | 1:50 PM IST

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