Army chief calls on VK Singh, discusses infrastructure development in northeast

NEW DELHI: Army chief General Bikram Singh on Friday called on his predecessor and minister of state for development of northeast region VK Singh, who has made his dislike for the Bikram-Suhag line of succession in the force loud and clear several times.

The meeting came two days after finance and defence minister Arun Jaitley made it clear that Lt-Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag's appointment as the next Army chief was 'final and binding', snubbing VK Singh's continuing attacks on the chief-designate for protecting "criminals".

Officers said Gen Bikram Singh met VK Singh to discuss infrastructure development in the northeast since the Army has "a lot of stake" in the region. "It was basically a courtesy call which also involved matters of professional interest for both of them," said an official.

VK Singh, who as Army chief did not share good vibes with Gen Bikram Singh, had fought a bitter row with the previous UPA government over his date of birth. Gen Bikram Singh's chance of succeeding him would have been scuttled if he had won the age battle.

Just before retiring in May 2012, VK Singh had also imposed a discipline and vigilance (DV) promotion ban on Lt-Gen Suhag.

But Gen Bikram Singh, soon after becoming the chief, lifted the DV ban on Lt-Gen Suhag, clearing his promotions first as the Eastern Army commander and then the vice-chief, with then defence minister A K Antony's concurrence.

If Lt-Gen Suhag had been overlooked, the second senior-most serving Lt-Gen, Southern Army Command chief Ashok Singh, would have been the frontrunner for the post. Lt-Gen Ashok Singh's son is married to VK Singh's daughter, as earlier reported by TOI.