M A I N   N E W S

Pranab denies clean chit to Fernandes

Kolkata, April 10
No clean chit was given to former Defence Minister George Fernandes by the UPA government in regard to the procurement of arms during the Kargil war, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said today.

Addressing mediapersons here, Mr Mukherjee said an additional affidavit would be filed in the Supreme Court and the matter would be heard in the third week of this month.

“The matter is before the apex court and it is up to it to decide whether a person will be given a clean chit,” he said.

Mr Mukherjee, however, pointed out that the affidavit did not refer to or mention any person.

He said the inference, sought to be drawn that a clean chit had been given to Mr Fernandes, was unjustified and totally unwarranted.

Mr Mukherjee said though the affidavit clarified that the procedures were not in violation of the financial rules of the government or the Defence Procurement Policy, it was alleged that the procedures laid down for procurement were not followed while procuring arms, weapons and equipment.

“The Kargil war continued from May 2001 to July 2001 and the order was placed in August that year. Hence, the question is whether the procedure was followed correctly,” he observed.

“Therfore, how can one come to the conclusion that somebody has been given a clean chit simply because in the affidavit it was stated that there is no violation of the financial rules of the government?” Mr Mukherjee asked.

He informed that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) was requested to conduct a special audit of all contracts entered into for procurement during the Kargil war and made observations for 35 items.

Meanwhile, Mr Fernandes has demanded the Centre to come out with the report of the Justice Phukan Commission and the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) on the defence purchases made during the Kargil conflict following the Tehelka tapes exposures.

Addressing the inaugural session of the two-day National Executive of the JD (U) in New Delhi. Mr Fernandes said it was the Congress which levelled allegations against the NDA government that it was concealing the CVC report.

Referring to newspaper reports that Justice S N Phukan had given a clean chit in the multi-million defence deals and Kandla-Bathinda pipleine project that figured in the conversation of Tehelka portal, Mr Fernandes said the previous government had withheld the report because the CVC wanted this report to be a “secret”. The Congress, which was demanding the publication, was now in power and should make public the reports of the CVC and the 750-page Justice Phukan Commission report.

Alleging that the sting operation conspiracy was hatched at the residence of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Mr Fernandes said two Union Ministers Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi and Oscar Fernandes were the two leaders who aided this conspiracy. This sting operation, he said used all unfair means to secure statements in inebriated conditions from the defence official using money, liquor and prostitutes. — UNI

Affidavit changed: Bhardwaj

In a new twist to the controversy over reported clean chit to former Defence Minister George Fernandes on Defence purchases during the Kargil conflict, Union Law Minister H.R. Bhardwaj has said the Defence Ministry had changed the draft affidavit prepared by his ministry before submitting to the Supreme Court.

Mr Bhardwaj said a plan had been formulated that if the Defence Ministry did not file a supplemantary affidavit in the case, the Law Ministry would itself file it. — PTI