Government insider played mischief over Army movement, minister says

NEW DELHI: Someone within the government could have tried to play mischief over the movement of a mechanized infantry unit and elements of a Para Brigade towards Delhi in mid-January, minister of state for defence MM Pallam Raju has admitted.

In a television interview on Sunday, Raju said the mischief makers may have exaggerated reports about what were routine troop movements -- which as per a newspaper report "spooked'' the government during its legal tussle with Army chief General VK Singh over the latter's age -- to create confusion in already trying times.

On the government's response to the situation, he said, "I would not put it that the government reacted. It's probably somebody down the line who might have read too much into it. I don't think we must react too much to these things. We know what our national interests are and what has to be done to protect our national interests and I think we are acting in accordance."

This comes after both PM Manmohan Singh and defence minister AK Antony dismissed the newspaper report by dubbing it as "alarmist" and "absolutely baseless". Antony went ahead to hold that the government "endorsed" the Army explanation that the troop movements concerned were part of its usual exercises. "We are absolutely confident of the patriotism of our armed forces,'' he said.

Army chief Gen VK Singh has also dismissed as "absolutely stupid'' the newspaper report of April 4, which insinuated that the government got "spooked" by the "unusual" troop movements since it thought a coup could be in the offing.