In a series of Tweets, Lt Gen (Retd) HS Panag said on Tuesday, April 16 that he did not sign the veterans’ petition to President Ram Nath Kovind against the politicisation of armed forces because “there is no point in petitioning to an office who suo moto should have done his constitutional duty.”
I have written a long article on the subject. I felt that there is no point in petitioning to an office who suo moto should have done his constitutional duty.
— Lt Gen H S Panag(R) (@rwac48) April 16, 2019
He also wrote that in his view, the conduct of the veterans, in sending the appeal to the President, was ‘most dignified.
In my view the conduct of the veterans is most dignified. You have different views. We can agree to disagree.
— Lt Gen H S Panag(R) (@rwac48) April 16, 2019
Panag was speaking in context of media reports of how news agency ANI had rushed to discredit the veterans’ appeal by misleading the public that former army chief Lt Gen (Retd) S.F. Rodrigues and former army vice chief Lt Gen (Retd) ML Naidu had not endorsed the letter.
Also Read: ‘Disgusting’, ‘Skullduggery’, ‘Tricks’: How Veterans Described ANI’s Lies About Lt Gen (Retd) Naidu
However, in a trail of emails accessed by NewsCentral24x7, Lt General (Retd.) Naidu told fellow veterans — who had expressed concerns over media reports about him withdrawing support from the letter — that this was untrue. He wrote to Maj General (Retd.) SG Vombatkere, saying: “Yesterday, I was informed by friends that I am being quoted by the visual media. Especially ANI. No one had contacted me. Finally, ANI called up in the afternoon and sent their team for “sound-bites”. I am attaching the same.”
Another trail of emails had revealed that Gen Rodrigues had also sent an email endorsing the letter.