'Our army will never stage a coup': PM Modi slams 'planted' stories

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday slammed the previous UPA regime over alleged planting of false stories that the army under the then chief V K Singh had planned a coup in 2011-12. Modi, who was addressing a public rally in Tamil Nadu's Tirupur, said every Indian knows that an army coup would never happen in the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. AFP

TIRUPUR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday slammed the previous UPA regime over alleged planting of false stories that the army under the then chief V K Singh had planned a coup in 2011-12. Modi, who was addressing a public rally in Tamil Nadu's Tirupur, said  every Indian knows that an army coup would never happen in the country. "Few days ago, the nation showed its utter disgust at a story of how a top UPA Minister kept pushing a narrative that our army will do a coup. Every Indian knows that our army can do no such thing, but look at the Congress attitude," Modi said. Further attacking the Congress, he said one of its leaders used unpardonable language for the army chief, at a time when the Indian army went across the border to do a surgical strike. The Prime Minister's comments come days after Union minister and former Army chief V K Singh said he had written to Modi seeking a probe into the alleged planting of false stories about an attempted coup during the UPA-II government in 2012. Singh had said "Indian Army loves the country and can never go against it." Sing wrote to Modi after a media report alleged that a few leaders of the UPA-II dispensation tried to establish a false narrative that the Army in 2011-12 was planning a "coup" to usurp the then Manmohan Singh government. Singh had said he had taken up the issue in 2012 as well when he wrote to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) about "coup" allegations being raised and asserting that those spreading such rumours should be charged with treason. "At that time (in 2012), in clear words I had said that the Indian Army will never do anything unconstitutional. The sentiment was echoed by the then defence minister (A K Antony)," he said. "You cannot accuse the armed forces of a thing like this. I had written to the MHA in 2012 but no action was taken. Now this expose has come out," he said. (With PTI inputs)