سہیل خانزادہ
Minister (2k+ posts)
Indian Minister of Defense divested of charge after opposing a ''single contender'' in Carbine tender by Indian Army & demanding CBI probe.
New Delhi: In this week’s Cabinet reshuffle, Rao Inderjit Singh was moved from the ministry of defence (MoD), where he was a minister of state (MoS), and given the remit of planning and urban development, also as MoS.
Just 10 days before the reshuffle, on June 25, Singh had a major row in a high-level MoD meeting, forcing Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar to intervene.
In that meeting, Singh took on the Army and MoD’s acquisition wing, accused them of “unfair selection” in an Army contract for 44,000 carbines, batted for inclusion of Italian firm Beretta in the list of vendors, even asking for a CBI probe into the selection process.
Officers who spoke to ET for this story did so on the condition they not be identified. They said Parikkar agreed with the principle of not having a single vendor but he said he will take up the issue at a different level. MoD responded to ET’s questions by saying it did not wish to comment.
Inderjit Singh , who spoke to ET at length, said he had asked for a CBI inquiry. He claimed his point was to establish how the army had picked a “single vendor”, IWI, for this order.
Beretta is promoted in India by Udai Singh and his father Bhupinder Singh. The senior Singh, nicknamed Tusky by his friends, is a familiar figure in Delhi’s defence circles. The Singhs had figured in a controversy over supply of allegedly sub-standard submachine guns to Border Security Force.
When contacted by ET, Bhupinder Singh said he was not “aware of any development or controversy around the carbine deal”. Italian Beretta — promoted by Bhupinder ‘Tusky’ Singh and son Udai — wrote several letters to MoD seeking retrial
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...or-row-over-gun-deal/articleshow/53106294.cms
New Delhi: In this week’s Cabinet reshuffle, Rao Inderjit Singh was moved from the ministry of defence (MoD), where he was a minister of state (MoS), and given the remit of planning and urban development, also as MoS.
Just 10 days before the reshuffle, on June 25, Singh had a major row in a high-level MoD meeting, forcing Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar to intervene.
In that meeting, Singh took on the Army and MoD’s acquisition wing, accused them of “unfair selection” in an Army contract for 44,000 carbines, batted for inclusion of Italian firm Beretta in the list of vendors, even asking for a CBI probe into the selection process.
Officers who spoke to ET for this story did so on the condition they not be identified. They said Parikkar agreed with the principle of not having a single vendor but he said he will take up the issue at a different level. MoD responded to ET’s questions by saying it did not wish to comment.
Inderjit Singh , who spoke to ET at length, said he had asked for a CBI inquiry. He claimed his point was to establish how the army had picked a “single vendor”, IWI, for this order.
Beretta is promoted in India by Udai Singh and his father Bhupinder Singh. The senior Singh, nicknamed Tusky by his friends, is a familiar figure in Delhi’s defence circles. The Singhs had figured in a controversy over supply of allegedly sub-standard submachine guns to Border Security Force.
When contacted by ET, Bhupinder Singh said he was not “aware of any development or controversy around the carbine deal”. Italian Beretta — promoted by Bhupinder ‘Tusky’ Singh and son Udai — wrote several letters to MoD seeking retrial
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...or-row-over-gun-deal/articleshow/53106294.cms
Last edited:
