NEW DELHI, Oct 10: India’s federal investigating agency on Tuesday named former defence minister George Fernandes and his colleague Jaya Jaitley in a multi-million dollar defence scandal, part of it involving purchase of the Barak missile system from Israel to thwart Pakistan’s sea-based inventory.
Mr Fernandes was forced to resign from the post on March 15, 2001, in the wake of the Tehelka expose. He was later brought back as defence minister.
While announcing his resignation, he had rejected the charges by the news site and asserted that the Rs7 billion deal had been approved by then scientific advisor to the defence ministry Dr A P J Abdul Kalam.
He claims that the Barak system was needed in view of Pakistan acquiring the missile firing P-3C Orion aircraft and French anti-ship Exocet missiles.
But even as the Central Bureau of Investigation filed the FIR against Mr Fernandes, the former defence minister shot off a letter to President A P J Abdul Kalam demanding dismissal of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government.
Referring to a report by Transparency International which rates India as the worst performer on the Bribe Payer’s Index (BPI), Mr Fernandes in his letter said this means that there is violation of the law and the constitution by those who are holding office in the government.
“There cannot be anything more demeaning for our country than being a nation that has been declared as the number one corrupt nation in the world,” he said.
“Please dismiss this government,” Mr Fernandes said.
