Army Chief of Staff General V.K. Singh, in a letter to Manmohan Singh, had pointed out a shortage of arms and ammunition in the armed forces and raised questions if the country was ready for a war.
According to reports, the letter, written March 12, states that army tanks have run out of ammunition. The letter emphasizes the need to bridge the shortcomings and bring the army to fighting level.
The Defense Minister said successive governments attach priority to the defence preparedness and that the government was committed to providing the best equipment to the forces.
“I can assure this nation it is our intention to keep it (armed forces) strong. Government will do everything necessary to ensure that our defence forces are provided and trained to make them best fighting forces in the world,” he said.
Agreeing that the issue should not be raised publicly, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley asked for assurance on the “integrity” of the procurement process.
“While I agree we will all have to exercise utmost restraint and not make it issue of public debate… across the media, too many pieces of information which disturb us are coming with regard on procurement process,” Jaitley said.
“Attach utmost priority to the fact that there are no malpractices in it,” he said.
The defence minister then assured the members that procurement process was amended time to time and strong action was taken if any violation was found.
The minister expressed happiness that the opposition and government were united on the issue of national security.
“I am very very happy to hear observations of the opposition leader and other leaders of the house… whatever be our difference, when it comes to national security we are one,” Antony said.
While the Rajya Sabha saw two adjournments, the Lok Sabha was adjourned twice but over the issue of statehood to Telangana.
“Why was this letter written and how was it leaked and reached the media… there are a lot of questions that need to be answered as it relates to the country’s security,” Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi told reporters.