Letter leak: Relief for Army Chief, trouble for govt

The government has denied a report that a senior officer in the Cabinet Secretariat was responsible for the leakage of Army Chief General VK Singh's confidential letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on shortage of equipment and ammunition.

While the Army Chief has been vindicated, it is the government now which is under the scanner.

Sources to CNN-IBN say the Army Chief's letter to the Prime Minister over India's war preparedness was leaked by an officer in the Cabinet Secretariat.

The government did issue a denial saying the report was wrong but the finger-pointing has already begun. In what was seen as a battle between the Army Chief and the Defence Ministry, the government has been blamed by the Opposition for victimising Gen Singh and the normally reticent Defence Minister AK Antony was forced to speak in Parliament.

Despite the government denial, the matter doesn't end here as the chief gets ready for retirement. Both the Opposition and Team Anna which invited Gen Singh to a seminar against corruption are waiting to corner the government.

Well, for now the government of course has issued a denial saying that no where has the Prime Minister's office or the Cabinet Secretariat been involved in the leak but what the government sources are still confirming to CNN-IBN that a lady officer belonging to the Indian Economic Service in the Cabinet Secretariat was actually behind this leak.

Investigations are on and the final report is expected to be filed soon. Sources say that an investigation will be carried out on why did she really leak out this letter and who was really behind it.

It's very understandable why the Prime Minister's office and the government is hurriedly issuing a denial because it gives a clean chit to the Army Chief but raises some alarming questions on the government's role behind this Army Chief controversy, and with the Opposition bound to corner the government once again on this, one can understand why the Prime Minister's office wants to step in and issue a denial.