NEW DELHI: BJP today demanded the resignation of Defense Minister A K Antony asking him to take moral responsibility for a series of accidents involving naval warships.
BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said that from Sindhurakshak to Sindhuratna, 10 naval accidents in 10 months showed “how bad is the state of affairs in which the Navy is functioning”.
He alleged UPA government was responsible for this “sorry state of affairs” as it has consistently neglected this vital arm of the defense forces.
“The Naval Chief has resigned. In reality, the buck stops at the door of the Defense Minister. The nation is asking the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister why they are not disturbed by the loss of life and property as well as loss of face of the nation. Therefore, the Defense Minister must take moral responsibility and resign forthwith,” he said.
Mourning the loss of lives of two Navy officers in the accident, he said it is a serious issue and someone at the top must take moral responsibility for it.
Claiming that the “lowest” priority is accorded to the Navy by the present government, he said no new procurement is being made and the Navy has to make do with outdated equipment.
He said the “glaring neglect” of the Navy has been pointed out by the Standing Committee on Defense in its various reports while discussing the budget allocation and procurement equipments for the force. Javadekar is a member of the panel.
The BJP leader said many submarines are aged and in a depleted condition as they were procured more than a quarter century ago.
He said the Navy is even short of sufficient funds for regular upkeep and necessary maintenance of many occasions.
“In the recent accident of ‘Sindhu Ratna’ also, the old batteries could not be replaced during refitting because of delay in contracting. This resulted in the tragic accident,” he said adding CAG has also pointed out these deficiencies in its reports of 2008-09 and 2010-11.–PTI
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