In a recent Facebook post, General VK Singh ripped apart the then Indian Express Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta over the 2012 story on the fake coup that was recently debunked by a Sunday Guardian report.
Mocking Shekhar Gupta as Couptaji, the minister took a dig at the age-old tradition of projecting the Prime Minister and Army chief in a face-off, as he posted, “When Mr Coupta was recruited by the powers-behind-the-scenes to cleverly imply I was planning a coup, their objective was to not only spook the good Doctor (Dr. Manmohan Singh) and his Italian handler (Sonia Gandhi), it was also the time honoured tactic that had been in vogue to set Nehru versus Thimayya, Shastri versus Chaudhuri, or Indira Gandhi versus Manekshaw. However, earlier these were usually just whispers… which was damaging enough”.
VK Singh added that Shekhar Gupta had tried to malign the army to achieve personal objectives and this attempt was nothing short of treason. Talking about the politicization of media houses and public platforms, Singh went on to add, “He with those in power backing Couptaji then, virtually all institutional platforms of redress were not available to me, even though I was the serving Chief of the Army and the fact that even the then RM, Shri AK Antony, had rubbished the coup report in the Rajya Sabha”.
Also Read: UPA government planted the Army Coup story, claims Sunday Guardian report
Shockingly, the Technology Trainings & Services (TSD) Institute which helped Gen. Singh in filling a complaint was subsequently hounded and crucified. Showing his helplessness and distrust in the then government organisations, Union Minister states, “The Home Ministry ignored the complaint, so did the Press Council who right from the start privately said they could not turn against their own. Irony is that Mr Coupta went on to head that illustrious body!”
Further, questioning the intent of the Congress party on the issue of corruption, Gen. V K Singh wrote, “Time is a funny thing… many of us has forgotten the crippling level of corruption that had brought India to its knees. The same people, who for generations have treated our country’s coffers as their private jagir, are today again trying to derail the new systems which are now desperately trying to redress and undo the years of crippling damage, repeatedly saying things which are not true”.
Yesterday, Gen. VK Singh wrote a letter to PM Modi seeking a high-level probe in alleged planting of false stories about the attempted coup during the UPA government in 2012. Union Minister also lashed out against the fake news peddlers adding, “The age old saying that truth must always prevail is timeless. It’s a shame so many people who played games and falsified news, are even today not accountable. In the interest of our country’s future where fake news is such a major threat, it is imperative to take action at the very root of this evil especially when all the evidence is there in the public domain”.
Notably, even after 5 days of the Sunday Guardian Story, Shekhar Gupta has chosen to remain silent on the issue. It seems that the head of the Editors Guild gives no heed to terms like accountability. In the sense that if it is true, he is the one who holds the key to who planted the story. There seem to be a few big names involved looking at how he has remained silent about it.