10-11-2006, 12:27 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>CBI fires Barak at George, who trains gun on Sonia </b>
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
POLITICAL VENDETTA, screams Opposition
As the Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday went to town announcing the registration of a corruption case against former Defence Minister George Fernandes and his associates in the six-year-old Barak missile deal, a furious and united Opposition dubbed the exercise as "a glaring example of political vendetta" and pledged to defeat the UPA Government's sinister designs.Â
George Fernandes, Jaya Jaitly, Sushil Kumar(From left to right)
Accusing Congress chief Sonia Gandhi of being behind the move, Fernandes flatly denied the allegations against him, adding that<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'> "she was behind the Tehelka sting operation and wanted to implicate me." </span>
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>"This is the handiwork of that lady," </span>he said, shortly after the CBI held a press conference to say it had registered an FIR on Monday in a Delhi Court against the former Defence Minister, then Samata Party chief Jaya Jaitly and then naval chief Admiral Sushil Kumar.
Fernandes said the decision to procure Barak missiles was taken much before he entered the Defence Ministry and he was only fulfilling the procurement needs of the Navy.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>"Thereafter, the Navy insisted that they needed it. I had to take a decision. I took the advise of the present President and the then Advisor to the Prime Minister APJ Abdul Kalam. On his clearance it was done. He said it was needed. He had put his hand into it,"</span> a combative Fernandes told media persons at his residence here.
Jaya Jaitly, who is in Germany, could not be contacted for her comments, but former navy chief Sushil Kumar was equally emphatic in refuting the charges leveled by the CBI.
"I told the Government that we needed the Barak missile system because it was the best in the world and I still stick to my stand," he told media persons.
<b>Standing solidly with the arraigned NDA convenor, the Janata Dal (U) and the BJP launched a counter offensive against the UPA Government and Congress president Sonia Gandhi for political persecution of their opponents.</b>
They alleged that the UPA Government's game plan had become clear when it scrapped the Phukan Commission abruptly after giving it three months extension.
"The commission had cleared the former defence minister in its interim report but the Government demonstrated its malafide by scrapping it before it could submit its final report," said BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar.
Slamming the Congress for misusing the CBI to settle political scores against the leaders with the guts to speak out against its wrongs and corrupt practices, he added, <b>"The CBI charge-sheet against former Defence Minister and NDA convenor is nothing but an act of political vendetta. It is condemnable in all respects." </b>
<b>"The Congress has made a blatant attempt to blemish the checkered political career of Fernandes spanning over 40 years. Such acts could only be expected from the Congress that is known for doing all this,"</b> he added.
Janata Dal(U) president Sharad Yadav endorsed him, saying that the UPA Government was misusing the CBI for political purposes.
"Everyone knows George Fernandes reputation for integrity and no one would believe that he could be involved in a corrupt deal," he said.
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Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
POLITICAL VENDETTA, screams Opposition
As the Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday went to town announcing the registration of a corruption case against former Defence Minister George Fernandes and his associates in the six-year-old Barak missile deal, a furious and united Opposition dubbed the exercise as "a glaring example of political vendetta" and pledged to defeat the UPA Government's sinister designs.Â
George Fernandes, Jaya Jaitly, Sushil Kumar(From left to right)
Accusing Congress chief Sonia Gandhi of being behind the move, Fernandes flatly denied the allegations against him, adding that<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'> "she was behind the Tehelka sting operation and wanted to implicate me." </span>
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>"This is the handiwork of that lady," </span>he said, shortly after the CBI held a press conference to say it had registered an FIR on Monday in a Delhi Court against the former Defence Minister, then Samata Party chief Jaya Jaitly and then naval chief Admiral Sushil Kumar.
Fernandes said the decision to procure Barak missiles was taken much before he entered the Defence Ministry and he was only fulfilling the procurement needs of the Navy.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>"Thereafter, the Navy insisted that they needed it. I had to take a decision. I took the advise of the present President and the then Advisor to the Prime Minister APJ Abdul Kalam. On his clearance it was done. He said it was needed. He had put his hand into it,"</span> a combative Fernandes told media persons at his residence here.
Jaya Jaitly, who is in Germany, could not be contacted for her comments, but former navy chief Sushil Kumar was equally emphatic in refuting the charges leveled by the CBI.
"I told the Government that we needed the Barak missile system because it was the best in the world and I still stick to my stand," he told media persons.
<b>Standing solidly with the arraigned NDA convenor, the Janata Dal (U) and the BJP launched a counter offensive against the UPA Government and Congress president Sonia Gandhi for political persecution of their opponents.</b>
They alleged that the UPA Government's game plan had become clear when it scrapped the Phukan Commission abruptly after giving it three months extension.
"The commission had cleared the former defence minister in its interim report but the Government demonstrated its malafide by scrapping it before it could submit its final report," said BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar.
Slamming the Congress for misusing the CBI to settle political scores against the leaders with the guts to speak out against its wrongs and corrupt practices, he added, <b>"The CBI charge-sheet against former Defence Minister and NDA convenor is nothing but an act of political vendetta. It is condemnable in all respects." </b>
<b>"The Congress has made a blatant attempt to blemish the checkered political career of Fernandes spanning over 40 years. Such acts could only be expected from the Congress that is known for doing all this,"</b> he added.
Janata Dal(U) president Sharad Yadav endorsed him, saying that the UPA Government was misusing the CBI for political purposes.
"Everyone knows George Fernandes reputation for integrity and no one would believe that he could be involved in a corrupt deal," he said.
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