Why is Army chief speaking up NOW?

The disclosure made by General V K Singh, Chief of the Army Staff, in an interview to The Hindu -- that he had refused an offer of a bribe of Rs 14 crore in connection with a commercial transaction related to the purchase of vehicles for the Army some months ago and that he had reported it to A K Antony, the defence minister -- if correct, raises serious questions regarding the way corruption allegations are handled in the government.<br><br>Subsequent reports have alleged that the bribe was offered by a senior retired officer of the army.<br><br>As per the normal procedures, the COAS should have immediately taken the following steps:<br><br>(a) Report the matter to the minister.<br><br>(b) Address a formal demi-official letter to the minister in confirmation of what he had reported orally and request for an enquiry.<br><br>(c) Call from his office the file related to this transaction and record a note that he (the COAS) was offered a bribe by a retired army officer, which he refused, and the fact that he had reported it to the defence minister orally and in writing and asked for an inquiry.<br><br>(d) Address a note to his office that the retired army officer who offered the bribe should not be issued a security pass in future to visit army offices and that action should be initiated for suspending his pension payments till the final outcome of the inquiry.