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`Chinks' in Cong.-led formation: Fernandes

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE AUG. 20. On a high following the unambiguous defeat on Tuesday of the no-confidence motion tabled by the Opposition against the National Democratic Alliance Government in Parliament, the Minister for Defence and convener of the NDA, George Fernandes, claimed here today that the defeat had exposed the "chinks" in the Congress-led formation.

Speaking to mediapersons at the corporate complex of Bharat Earth Movers Limited, where he released coaches made by the public sector unit for the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Mr. Fernandes said that Tuesday's debate in Parliament on the motion of no-confidence moved by the Leader of the Opposition and Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, had made it clear that the NDA was "very firm'' and "well-knit". He said that the political platform built five years ago had become ever stronger and that it would be on the same platform that the constituent parties would fight the next general elections.

Mr. Fernandes, a leader of the Samata Party that is an NDA constituent, conceded that the Congress was trying to put together an electoral combine, but said the party lacked the kind of resilience that was required to create and sustain a cohesive formation.

As for the no-confidence motion itself, he felt that the Congress was just doing the duty of a party in the Opposition.

On the strategy adopted by the AIADMK in the context of the no-confidence motion, he said that it had remained neutral. But he said it could not be said that the ruling party in Tamil Nadu, the arch-rival of the DMK that is a constituent of the NDA, had come closer to the NDA.

Mr. Fernandes mentioned that ahead of the debate in Parliament he had tried in vain to contact the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK leader, Jayalalithaa, over the telephone: she was not available.

With regard to the NDA approaching the AIADMK, he remarked that "meetings take place only when there is a purpose."

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