New Delhi:
As the row over the age of Army chief General VK Singh threatens to snowball into a major controversy, former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh today said that his letter to Defence Minister A K Antony over correction of the General's date of birth was "his personal opinion".
Captain Singh, who is also the state party president, had sent a letter to the minister about a month ago mentioning about General Singh's date of birth - an issue that has seen the latter locked in a tussle with the government. Different records within the Army show May 10, 1950 and May 10, 1951 as the General's date of birth. The Army chief has consistently claimed that he was born in 1951 and not 1950 as maintained by the Ministry of Defence.
Issuing a clarification, Captain Singh said that he had put forth his opinion on the issue only "in his personal capacity".
His statement comes in the wake of reports of the Army chief seeking legal aid. The Defence Ministry had, just three days ago, formally rejected his statutory application seeking correction in his date of birth. General Singh feels the government has given him a raw deal and therefore he has no option but to fight for his honour.
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