People's Democracy

WHEN George Fernandes was re-inducted as the defence minister even while the Venkataswami Commission was enquiring his involvement in the tehelka episode, we, through these columns, had suspected that the main reason was to ensure that crucial files pertaining to dubious and indefensible defence deals were to be prevented from any scrutiny. For, it is Fernandes alone who is privy to the massive unscrupulous corruption that is taking place under his leadership.

Our suspicions have now been vindicated. According to reports in the national media (The Indian Express, January 30, 2002), the Raksha Mantri, citing "national interest" has refused to share with the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Parliament the report of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) on defence deals since 1989.

The issue of Fernandes's re-induction, therefore, had everything to do with the throwing to the winds of all norms of political morality. Shamelessly, while many defence officers have been punished on the basis of the tehelka tapes, Fernandes was re-inducted! The basic purpose, as is now obvious, was to sabotage all enquiries into the stinking corruption connected with the defence deals.

It is also clear by now that Fernandes's high moral outburst referring all files pertaining to 76 defence deals signed since 1989 to the CVC for scrutiny, earlier, was sheer bluster. When the matter has come to the crunch, the minister takes recourse behind "national interest" to cover up his unprecedented corruption.

The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) regarding the shocking purchase of coffins for the Kargil martyrs had rocked the Parliament until the terrorist attack took place on December 13th. The Raksha Mantri's refusal now to allow even a legitimate parliamentary probe by the PAC into some of the defence deals makes a mockery of all claims of the Vajpayee government to transparency in defence purchases.

Without any doubt, Fernandes is trying to cover up the loot of crores of public money in defence deals under the garb of protecting "national interest". It is precisely in the interest of the nation that such unscrupulous politicians must be not only exposed but brought to book.

Indeed, by allowing Fernandes to whitewash his grievious acts of commission, Vajpayee is confirming his role as the presiding deity of the corrupt pantheon that constitutes this NDA government.

Such subterfuge cannot be allowed. The country needs to know the truth and heads must roll. There can be no greater anti-national act than indulging in gross corruption in the name of our country's martyrs and seeking cover under the pretext of protecting "national interest". If Vajpayee has retained any semblance of decorum, then he must dismiss the Raksha Mantri forthwith. His unwillingness to do so only exposes his complicity in the matter.

Vajpayee's government has reduced governance to a mockery, integrity to a farce, accountability to an offence and morality to a joke.

Talking about jokes, it reminds us of the following (with due apologies to the original personalities): a youth was caught painting on the walls of Raksha Mantralay that the "Minister is a fraud". He was duly prosecuted and sentenced to jail for a term of ten years and six months. Perplexed at the strange duration of the sentence, he was told upon enquiry, that six months is the punishment for soiling the walls of the ministry and ten years for letting out a State secret!

Jokes apart, if there ever was any "national interest", that needs to be protected, then this fraud of a Minister must be shown the door. It is, indeed, the tragedy of our times that in the name of "national interest", the country and the people continue to be looted. This cannot be permitted.