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Pachouri rises to defend Sonia, hits out at George

By Our Staff Correspondent

BHOPAL SEPT. 30. The former Union Minister of State for Defence Production and Madhya Pradesh Congress spokesman, Suresh Pachouri, has severely criticised the Defence Minister, George Fernandes, for threatening to seek legal action against the AICC president, Sonia Gandhi, on charges of "treason''.

The senior Congress MP, Suresh Pachouri has issued a statement here alleging that the Union Defence Minister, who has been accused of massive irregularities in the Kargil war linked defence purchases, has only exposed his "mental bankruptcy'' by threatening action against the AICC president.

Launching a counter-attack, Mr. Pachouri has said that Mr. Fernandes should first prove himself innocent in the multi-crore purchase scam. He has further held the Defence Minister responsible for weakening the country's defence. Citing an example, Mr. Pachouri has stated that Rs. 24,000 crores earmarked in the Defence budget for the modernisation of the armed forces have not been spent so far. By holding back these funds that account for 30 per cent of the Defence Budget, the country's armed forces have been deprived of modern weapons and equipment and have been made easy fodder for the Pak-guns, he has said in his statement. The BJP-led Central Government, he added, has not given any account of what it has done with the Rs. 4253 crores collected as Kargil tax.

Mr. Pachouri has asked the Defence Minister to reply to the objections raised by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India regarding irregularities in the purchase of basic equipment like bullet proof jackets, multi-purpose shoes, special binoculars, and powerful rifles. He has particularly pointed out that defence material worth Rs. 2150 crores out of the total amount of Rs. 2175 crores approved for purchase had been procured only after the Kargil war was over.

Mr. Pachouri has also criticised the Defence Minister for "failure'' on his part to take appropriate measures to check the rapidly recurring MiG crashes. He has also questioned the need for importing aluminium "coffins'' when these could have been made in the country itself. As if this was not enough, the negotiating committee for purchasing these "coffins'' included even those who had figured in the Tehalka tapes, he said.

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