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Remarks on PM
No apology: Fernandes
Tripti Nath
Tribune News Service

What Fernandes had said:
“If it were China, they would have settled it with one bullet in his (Manmohan Singh’s) head” (over the Indo-US nuclear deal).

New Delhi, August 17
Under attack from the ruling Congress over his statement against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, NDA convener George Fernandes on Friday refused to apologise for it.

“What should I apologise for?" he said, talking to mediapersons. “What I have said in the statement is that the way our Prime Minister had told lies, had an American president done that he would have been removed. And had someone done that in China, he would have been shot dead."

Asked whether he implied that the Prime Minister was corrupt, he said, "I have not called the Prime Minister corrupt. You have my statement. These are not my words — you only spread lies. Now you will run these words as mine."

Fernandes also released copies of a letter he had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee in which he had referred to members of the ruling benches saying that his remarks were an "inciting statement" against the Prime Minister. "No one reading my statement in its entirety including the Prime Minister himself will come to such a conclusion," he claimed.

Angry Cong men stall RS proceedings
Tripti Nath
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 17
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned till Monday after agitated Congress members stalled proceedings over NDA convener George Fernandes' statement about the Prime Minister bluffing the nation on the nuclear deal.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned twice, first after Question Hour and the second time when the House reassembled at 2.30 p.m.

Congress members raised slogans demanding Fernandes arrest. Minister of state for parliamentary affairs Suresh Pachouri said even the Opposition should condemn a statement against the Prime Minister, who was a respected member of the Rajya Sabha.

Leader of the Opposition Jaswant Singh stood up to make a statement on the issue but his voice was inaudible in the uproar created by members belonging to the treasury benches.

Despite repeated efforts by deputy chairman K. Rehman Khan, members refused to pipe down, compelling him to adjourn the House till 11 am on Monday.

Earlier in the day, as soon as the Question Hour ended, Congress members led by Congress chief whip in the House V. Narayanasami raised their voice over Fernandes' statement. In his statement issued yesterday, Fernandes had said the PM had no moral or political right to remain in his position. ``If it were the United States, their House would have thrown out and disgraced the President if he had acted as Manmohan Singh. If it were China, they would have settled it with bullet in his head.''

Raising slogans and waving copies of newspapers carrying the offensive and insulting statement, the Congress members demanded an unconditional apology from Fernandes. The BJP members also tried to match their decibel level by raising counter slogans.