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After calling for an “Army-like” culture in running the government earlier this month, former Army Chief Gen (retd) V K Singh today said ex-servicemen are the best option to lead society as “they are trained as leaders”.
Warning of “tough action” if immediate steps are not taken to check corruption, Singh said: “Ex-servicemen should come forward and take over the mantle.”
Joining Ramdev’s protest at Ramlila Maidan here, Singh accused the government of acting like a “property dealer” in acquiring land for private companies while ignoring farmers’ suicides.
“We are not digging the grave of the Congress. They are doing it by themselves. We will tell who to vote for and who not to vote for in the 2014 elections. This job has to be done in a tactical way,” he said.
He said democracy today means votebank politics, and democratic institutions have become weak. “It should be nation first and always, everytime for the people… patriotism should not be confined to the borders,” he said.
Urging people to rise above caste, creed and religion to fight corruption, he alleged that there is a scam everyday. “What we want is complete all-round development. Money shouldn’t be distributed among just 4-5 per cent of the people,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ramdev voluntarily extended his “deadline” for the government to take action till Monday morning. While he has been warning of a “revolution” for the last four days, the yoga guru announced a “big battle” for Monday, but refrained for divulging any details.
Indicating that a jail bharo programme is being considered, he asked how many people were willing to go to jail with him. “Balkrishna is already in jail… It’s our turn now. I will only break my fast in jail,” he said, even as he pledged non-violence.
He claimed that besides the crowd at Ramlila, “thousands” are en route to Delhi. Earlier in the day, he claimed that he had sent a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, setting a 5 pm deadline. However, there was no response from the government.