Indian defence minister V.P. Singh quits

1987 - Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi appointed Krishna Chandra Pant as India’s defence minister to replace Vishwanath Pratap Singh, who resigned after ordering controversial investigations into two scandals. Pant, 56, was appointed after President Zail Singh accepted Singh’s resignation. Gandhi has been under intense pressure from supporters in the last few days to drop Singh for indirectly challenging his leadership and trying to dent his ‘Mr Clean’ image. Senior members of the cabinet and of the ruling Congress (I) party said they asked for the ousting because Singh ordered an inquiry into a $23 million (Dh84.5 million) commission paid to an agent for buying foreign arms. Singh has denied that the arms deal inquiry was an attempt to embarrass or topple Gandhi, who held the defence portfolio himself until naming Singh to the post. Singh said in a statement that he would not hold any public office in the near future.