New Delhi, May 1 : Army chief General V K Singh, who is in the thick of controversy over his date of birth, today refused to comment on it saying his remarks on personal issues would not be good for the force.
“I don't want to comment on personal matters. It is not good for the army,” Gen Singh said on the sidelines of a seminar here.
“Media itself is bringing out the facts as to who is behind this, so I don't want to give my personal comments,” he said.
The controversy over the Army chief's age broke out after the Law Ministry recently gave an opinion that his date of birth was May 10, 1951 as shown in his matriculation certificate and not May 10, 1950 as filled in his UPSC form for the entrance exam of National Defence Academy (NDA).
The Army had sought the Law Ministry's opinion to determine its chief's age while replying to an RTI application as different dates were mentioned in the records of the Adjutant General (AG) and Military Secretary (MS) branches.
The AG branch - the official record keeper for salary and pension - has been following May 10, 1951 as Singh's date of birth, the MS branch, which looks after promotions and postings, shows it as May 10, 1950.
Taking into consideration the year 1950, Singh will retire on June 1, 2012, but if the other date of birth is accepted, he may remain in office for another ten months.
As per rules, an army chief can serve for three years or up to the age of 62, whichever is earlier.
The issue will also determine as to who will succeed Gen Singh.
If he retires in June 2012, Lt Gen Bikram Singh will be the most-likely successor and if he gets an extension, Lt Gen K T Parnaik could succeed him. PTI
