Mamata threatens to reconsider support, seeks Fernandes ouster

Mamata threatens to reconsider support, seeks Fernandes ouster
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI, MARCH 14: Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress President Mamata Banerjee today threatened "reconsidering her support to NDA government" unless the resignation of Defence Minister George Fernandes is accepted and a investigation launched to probe the allegations in the video footage.

Demanding a probe by a joint parliamentary committee or a sitting Supreme Court judge or CBI, Banerjee said since the entire issue related to defence deals, all the officials named in the video footage must not continue in office.

Since lapse of time was causing irreparable damage to the image of the government and the country internationally, it was essential that all the steps suggested by her should be initiated by the government, Banerjee said, adding "in case such actions are not taken, all India Trinamool Congress will be left with no alternative but to reconsider continuing its support to the NDA government."

In a letter to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee released to the press, Banerjee said that Fernandes has resigned owning moral responsibility in the highest traditions of democratic functioning. His resignation should be accepted pending investigation, she said.

``Specific allegations have also been made in the video footage and the transcript against certain highly placed officials. No bureaucrat should be allowed to tarnish that. Officials whose names figure must be asked to go till the investigations are over,'' she said.

Her party would help in restoring the damaged image of the government in people's mind, Banerjee said.

Banerjee, who held a meeting with all her party MPs and other leaders this morning, said the ``very foundation of government's functioning depends on people's faith and their perception about it.''

``It is in an hour of crisis like this, that the government is expected to take immediate action to restore the faith of the people,'' she said.

Demanding that no guilty person "however highly placed he is" should be spared, the Trinamool Chief said those making such serious charges must also be asked to conclusively prove their allegations, failing which they also must be proceeded against as per the law.

Banerjee's letter comes in the backdrop of her decision last night not to attend the meeting of the Union cabinet, soon after the portal's charges became known.

Meanwhile. minutes after the ruling NDA ruled out Fernandes' resignation, Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandopadhyay said his party was awaiting the response of the Prime Minister to their letters.

Incidentally, Banerjee had also sent a letter to Vajpayee last night asking the government to hold an "immediate and impartial enquiry at an appropriate level" and come clean against the allegations.

``The question of reconsideration is a political decision and it will take time. But we are serious about our demands and there will be no compromise with corruption,'' Bandopadhyay told reporters.

``We are waiting for the Prime Minister's response. The moment it comes our party will meet and decide the future course of action,'' Bandopadhyay said.

To a question if the party would compromise on any of its demands, he said, ``It is party strategy which I cannot disclose.''

He said the party had not demanded Fernandes' resignation, but was asking the government to accept his offer to resign.

Meanwhile, Trinamool party sources later said this was for the first time that they were feeling "isolated in our fight against corruption" as no other NDA partner was with them on this issue.