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How true are the allegations against Fernandes?

Can we have a defence minister or, for that matter, any minister who goes around sheltering militants? Most certainly not. Which is why I say that Union Defence Minister George Fernandes should immediately be sacked if it is found that he sheltered Burmese rebels at his residence.

Note that italicised 'if'. Just how true is the allegation?

It comes from dismissed naval chief Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat. He claims that Fernandes revealed this in a meeting with the three service chiefs. So far, Fernandes has not denied it. But he is quite concerned about this allegation. He even tried to persuade the Opposition not to bring it up during the debate on the issue in Parliament.

Nobody doubts Fernandes's patriotism. But everybody knows that he has got certain pre-conceived notions on issues like China, Tibet, Burma etc. He still feels that he is in the Opposition; he still feels he is part of the anti-government movement. And that he has to carry out the agenda of the socialist international forum. If the allegation is wrong, then Bhagwat should be reprimanded.

I do not know who is wrong and who is right. It is for the first time that Fernandes is facing such charges, which range from corruption to anti-nationalism. He has been in the habit of calling others corrupt throughout his political career. But he has maintained an image of honesty. Now suddenly his name is being linked to defence deals. Not by Congressmen, mind you, but by former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and other third force leaders, who have all been friendly with him.

Fernandes was in the forefront in the allegations against Rajiv Gandhi, particularly on Bofors. Now the Congress MPs have a chance to pay him back in the came coin. It is crucial for the socialist leader to come clean in public -- not only regarding the corruption charges, but about his alleged links with militants as well.

Simultaneous with this attack from outside, Fernandes is also facing a crisis from within. His Samata Party has split in Bihar. Four of his Lok Sabha members -- Shakuni Chaudhary, Prabhu Nath Singh, Haridwar Singh and Abdul Gaffoor -- are being wooed by Laloo Prasad Yadav. The foursome is known to be unhappy with the national leadership, especially Fernandes and Nitish Kumar. If Laloo succeeds in splitting the Samata, there will be another crisis for the Vajpayee government. After Om Prakash Chauthala withdrew support, the prime minister is hanging there by the support of just one MP. Laloo is learnt to have told his supporters in Patna that during the cut motion on the Budget in April, "four or five Samta MPs will be voting in support."

Besides the four, two more of the Samata's Lok Sabha members -- Vashist Narayan Singh and Sushil Singh -- are being cultivated by Laloo through former prime minister Chandra Shekhar. Both MPs are Rajputs, and have got tremendous respect for Chandra Shekhar. (Of late, the former prime minister has been constantly supporting Laloo Yadav in the Lok Sabha. Chandra Shekhar knows that to make it to the next Lok Sabha from Balia, he needs to woo the sizeable number of Yadavs there.)

Samata MPs Prabhu Narayan Singh and Shakuni Chaudhary too have been quite vocal against Nitish Kumar and Fernandes. They are convinced that in the eventuality of a Cabinet expansion, they will never be considered. Gaffoor, despite being the senior-most leader from Bihar, is also not likely to be considered for a portfolio -- Vajpayee does not intend to take anyone from among his allies.

Gaffoor was a Cabinet minister in the Rajiv Gandhi government. Shakuni and Haridwar Singh come from the Koeri community, which doesn't have much to do with the Samata Party. And Prabhu Narayan is a Rajput and is quite envious of Digvijay Singh, another Samata MP being sponsored by Kumar and Fernandes to be a minister.

Digvijay Singh has been a minister in the Chandra Shekhar government. He takes care of the Samata Party affairs in Delhi. Shakuni's legislator wife Parvati Devi has already left the Samata Party and joined hands with Rabri Devi. She voted for Rabri Devi during the trust motion. After this second victory against the Union government, Laloo is confident of finishing off Fernandes.

Rajiv Shukla