Laxman does not dispute Fernandes' figure

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, FEB. 1. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president, Mr. Bangaru Laxman, did not dismiss the Defence Minister, Mr. George Fernandes' estimate of over 1,00,000 dead in the Gujarat earthquake. And he used the enormity of the problem to justify the ``performance'' of the State Government.

``Mr. Keshubhai Patel has performed satisfactorily,'' Mr. Laxman said today, even as there was some talk at the party office here that the Gujarat Chief Minister's days were numbered. On the State Government's estimate of 25,000 dead, Mr. Laxman pointed out that its machinery and relief work had not reached all affected villages in Kutch and Saurashtra till Wednesday. ``How can the State Government have an estimate without reaching all the places?''

``Unless reports become available village by village, no proper estimate can be made,'' he said, but added that ``Mr. Fernandes had gone there as a representative of the Union Cabinet'', indicating that his figure may be based on estimates made by the Army and the Air Force through aerial surveys. Aid and relief could never be adequate, the party president said, brushing aside a question on whether he was satisfied with the work done by the State government. However, given the enormity of the task, he thought the Keshubhai Government was performing satisfactorily.

It is no secret that a contingent of Gujarat MLAs has been lobbying with the party high command to dislodge Mr. Patel, a move which gained momentum after the BJP fared badly in the panchayat and civic body elections. The earthquake may have given a temporary and short lease of life to Mr. Patel - the leadership may be reluctant to throw him out in the midst of the crisis - but it is now almost certain that he will not last the rest of his tenure.

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