Image Credit:twitter.com/Gen_VKSingh, businesstoday.in
Arguing that a minister can only be removed by the Prime Minister, the Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a case of a petitioner who called for the removal of union minister VK Singh over his ‘anti-army’ comments.
Speaking with regards to the tension between China and India over the LAC, Gen VK Singh had in February this year claimed that India had transgressed the border with China many times, but had not announced it publicly. “If China has transgressed 10 times, we must have done it at least 50 times,” the union minister had said. The statement was used by China as proof of its allegation of Indian aggression being the reason behind the current round of tensions between the two countries.
According to the petitioner, Chandrasekaran Ramasamy, Singh’s statement was a violation of the oath he took as a minister. Ramasamy argued that the statement had weakened India at the global level while providing China with an excuse to justify its border incursions. He further added that a common man making such a statement would have been punished by the government and that similar treatment should be given to the union minister.
However, the top court highlighted that it is the decision of PM Modi to remove any minister. “It appears you are a scientist. Use your energy to help the country,” the court called on the petitioner.
Meanwhile, the situation between India and China over the Line of Actual Control (LAC) continues to remain grim. A recent report by Bloomberg suggests that India has now deployed 50,000 more troops over the border with China.