New Delhi:
Former Army Chief General VK Singh has said he has no plans to join politics or contest elections against Sonia Gandhi.
Speaking exclusively to NDTV, the former Army Chief dwelt at length on his efforts to unite the large community of former servicemen to ensure that their voice is heard and that they get their dues. "If they become a vote bank, so be it. Why should it scare people? It is high time the veterans' voice is heard," he said.
But elections, said General Singh, who has been a prominent presence at the side of Gandhian activist Anna Hazare in his anti-corruption campaign, "is nowhere on our mind."
He dismissed media reports that he was considering a BJP offer to field him against Congress president Sonia Gandhi in her Lok Sabha constituency Rae Bareli and quipped: "They (the reports) are the product of a ripe imagination."
Asked if he opposed the ruling Congress, the ex-Armyman said, "I am against nobody. I am for a better India."
General Singh also brushed aside charges of misuse of funds or exceeding his brief in setting up an intelligence unit called the Technical Support Division (TSD), and also allegations that the division, now closed, spied on the political establishment.
"The TSD was set up at the directive of the
Raksha Mantri (Defence Minister) and was initiated during my predecessor's time. It was only implemented during my time. It was meant to give the Indian Army a capability to act against the adversary across the border," he said, adding that its closure had affected India's "ability to counter the happenings on our border."
The retired General works closely with Anna Hazare and has formed an organisation called the
Jantantra Morcha. He said he had associated with the 76-year old Mr Hazare because "he is a genuine person and everyone else abandoned him."
He was referring to a fallout between Anna and members of his core team of activists like Arvind Kejriwal, who has since launched his own political party.