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Thursday, Jun 10, 2004

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Fernandes should have returned classified document: Pranab

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI, JUNE 9. The Defence Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, today charged the former Defence Minister, George Fernandes, with wrongfully retaining a classified document — the ``in-house'' report on the Kargil war — when the practice was to return all classified documents once a person ceases to be a Minister.

Objecting strongly to Mr. Fernandes displaying the Kargil report in public, Mr. Mukherjee said: ``It is not a souvenir. This document was given to him for official use. Had it been a souvenir he could have kept it, but this is a classified document.'' Such documents, he said, should have been ``returned the moment he ceased to be a Minister.'' The Defence Minister indicated that Mr. Fernandes was guilty of violating the Official Secrets Act and the oath of office.

The fresh controversy has erupted even as the earlier spat over a media report that the increased casualties in the Kargil war was because political clearance for using air power was delayed has ended.

However, at a press conference a little later, Mr. Fernandes continued to maintain that the copy of the report he had was a ``personal one'' marked to ``The Defence Minister, with regards'' from the former Army Chief, V.P. Malik. When it was pointed out that the copy was marked to ``The Defence Minister,'' which he no longer was, Mr. Fernandes suggested that it became a personal copy because it said ``with regards.''

Both Mr. Fernandes and the former External Affairs Minister, Jaswant Singh, waved the copy in front of the press today and on Monday, June 7, when Mr. Singh opened the volume and quoted from it to prove a point. When the press asked them whether Ministers and the Prime Minister could carry away with them all kinds of official documents they are presented with in their official capacities when they demit office, neither cared to respond.

Mr. Fernandes insisted that he had done nothing wrong. Neither was he guilty of violating the Official Secrecy Act or the oath of office he had taken when he became a Minister.

In response to questions on this subject, the Congress spokesperson, Anand Sharma, said that it was for the Government to decide what ``action'' should be taken against Mr. Fernandes. He could add nothing to what Mr. Mukherjee had already said. However, on behalf of the Congress he added that when a Minister leaves office he could not carry official documents with him. That was certainly inappropriate and a violation of official rules.

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