The Hindu : National : Left parties seek clarification on "clean chit" to Fernandes

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Saturday, Apr 09, 2005

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Left parties seek clarification on "clean chit" to Fernandes

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, APRIL.8. Leaders of the Left parties today sought a clarification on reports that the Centre had given a "clean chit" to the former Defence Minister, George Fernandes, for arms procurement during the Kargil war.

The Congress, meanwhile, maintained that there was no question of giving Mr. Fernandes a "clean chit," and that the last word was yet to be said on the issue.

During their breakfast meeting at the residence of the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, the Left leaders sought to know the details in the presence of the United Progressive Alliance chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, the Defence Minister, Pranab Mukherjee and the External Affairs Minister, Natwar Singh.

The Left leaders, including the Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary, Harkishan Singh Surjeet; its Polit Bureau member, Sitaram Yechury; the CPI general secretary, A.B. Bardhan; its national secretary, D. Raja; the All-India Forward Bloc general secretary, Debabrata Biswas; and the Revolutionary Socialist Party Central Committee member, Abani Roy, were invited by the Prime Minister to brief them on the upcoming visits of the Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao, and the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf.

Sources in the Left parties said the leaders broached the issue in the context of the recent U.S. proposal to supply F-16 fighter aircraft to Pakistan and related developments. "What about the George issue,'' they asked.

The Left leaders were concerned as these parties were in the forefront of boycotting Mr. Fernandes in Parliament and pilloried him over the "coffin scam.'' Mr. Mukherjee denied that his predecessor was given any "clean chit" and said an additional affidavit was being filed in the Supreme Court.

Dignitaries' visit

On the visits of the two dignitaries, Mr. Natwar Singh briefed the Left leaders. Later, Mr. Yechury told correspondents that the Left parties were happy with the Government's foreign policy direction. "On foreign policy, the Government is going according to our understanding in the Common Minimum Programme.'' He said the border dispute with China could be solved only through talks and hoped that understanding between India and China would improve after the visit.

Mr. Raja said the Left parties congratulated the Government for the successful flagging-off of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus.

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