The Hindu : National : Fernandes rules out downsizing Army

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 06, 2004

National

National

Fernandes rules out downsizing Army

By Our Special Correspondent

CUDDALORE, MAY 5. The Defence Minister, George Fernandes, has ruled out any move to downsize the Army as a reciprocal gesture to Pakistan cutting down its military strength by 50,000 personnel.

Replying to a question at a press conference in Chidambaram near here today whether in slimming down the Army, India would follow suit, Mr. Fernandes said: "There is no proposal on this line. All that Pakistan has done is that it has kept the combat forces intact, and cut off only the tail. As for as the combat forces of Pakistan are concerned, the same old balance remains."

Asked whether any action would be taken to curtail the deployment of ex-servicemen by private security agencies to Iraq, Mr. Fernandes said neither the Army nor the Government had a say in this.

Once the personnel retired or were relieved of their services, they were on their own. There was no way the armed forces could have any information on them or any say on their activity. Also, there was no legislation that stipulated what the defence personnel should do in the post-retirement period, Mr. Fernandes said.

To a question whether his campaigning for the People's Alliance candidate, Thol. Thirumavalavan, against the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate, D. Periasamy, in Chidambaram parliamentary constituency amounted to a realignment of political parties in the post-poll scenario, Mr. Fernandes said: "I do not visualise that kind of development, but in politics nothing should be ruled out."

Did he foresee a hung Parliament? Mr. Fernandes said there was no way this would happen. The National Democratic Alliance would secure a majority and form the Government. On the exit polls, he said: "The exit polls are what they are. They should exit."

Referring to the allegations made by the All-India Congress Committee President, Sonia Gandhi, on the purchase of caskets for the Kargil war martyrs, Mr. Fernandes said she was using the Kargil war situation and the casket issue for political ends.

Since she had made false allegations in this regard, he had written to the Election Commission to restrain her and was awaiting a response. When pointed out that the "foreigner issue" was gradually getting to the back seat in the electioneering, Mr. Fernandes observed that the issue stood on its own. The more important issue was the bankruptcy of ideas in the Congress camp that was now projecting the children of Ms. Gandhi as more capable than all the leaders in the country, and "this was the real issue now."

He maintained that the Congress, in its 110/111 years of history, could not produce one single leader, but what it could boast of was the history of sufferings and misery during its regime.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National