Asked about defence minister A K Antony's advice to forget the turbulence of the recent past, Gen Bikram Singh said he wants to look ahead and not behind.

"Car is driven by seeing ahead through the windscreen and not through the rear view mirror. My issue is that whatever has hapened should be left behind and drive looking from the windscreen in taking the army ahead," he said.

Asked to comment on the strain in civil-military relations in the recent past, the army chief said he will have a look at the problems and find a way ahead.

"I have had five tenures in army headquarters and this will be the sixth one. We have had no problems in the past at least. Let me see what the problems are and we will take it forward.

"I am certain that given the wisdom on both sides, given the commitment on both sides, I am sure that there will be no problems," he said.

To a query on the deficiencies pointed out by his predecessor and its readiness for operations in the force, Gen Singh said, "It will be my endeavour that army remains operationally ready and worthy of expectations of our people and is able to fulfil its role in the correct manner. I would work towards this."

Gen V K Singh had written a letter to the prime minister abiout deficiencies faced by the force in terms of ammunition and obsolete equipment in the army air defence.

Asked to comment on his predecessor's priority of improving the internal health of the force, he said, "In any organisation, it is an issue that its internal health should remain good and under this many things have been done and it will continue."

On whether AFSPA should be revoked from areas in Jammu and Kashmir and Northeastern states, the army chief said, "We have already given our views to the government and it is for them to decide on them."

Gen Bikram said the "army shall continue to carry out its tasks, fulfil its constitutional obligations and perform its role as per desired norms and make sure it remains most accountable, most responsive and most disciplined and most worthy of national power."

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BEML serves legal notice on ex-army chief, denies charges

A day after general V K Singh retired as chief of army, public sector BEML on Friday slapped a legal notice on him demanding an apology for his "false and motivated" allegations against it on the tatra truck issue.

"Legal notice has been issued on Friday. If he does not apologise, we may file a defamation suit against Gen V K Singh", BEML chairman and managing director V R S Natarajan told reporters in Bengaluru.

Gen Singh had alleged that he was offered a Rs 14 crore bribe by a former officer to clear supply of a tranche of 600 tatra trucks into which the CBI is investigating.

"The former army chief has made some allegations against BEML. As the CEO of the company, I deny them as absolutely false, motivated, damaging and defamatory", Natarajan said.

The CBI has registered a preliminary enquiry against retired Lt Gen Tejinder Singh on a complaint filed by Singh in which he has alleged that the retired army officer had offered him the bribe for clearing a 'sub-standard' consignment of tatra trucks.

Natarajan defended the delay in initiating the process for defamation against Singh saying the company had to go through the process of seeking legal advice and then placing it before the board for approval.

BEML has not received a single letter that the tatra vehicles is sub-standard, obsolete or over-priced, Natarajan said. .