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Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi
The growing camaraderie between Samata Party politician George Fernandes and the Trinamul Congress following the latter's return to the National Democratic Alliance has not gone down well with some Bharatiya Janata Party politicians who see it as 'mutual back-scratching' for re-induction into the Union Cabinet.
"Fernandes and Mamata seem to have formed a mutual admiration society. He helped her party's return to the NDA and she is attempting to canvass his case for re-induction into the Union Cabinet," remarked Sahib Singh Verma.
Verma, who himself aspires for a ministerial berth in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, pointed out that at Banerjee's behest, her party's MPs were urging the prime minister to re-induct Fernandes into the Cabinet.
"She [Banerjee] has no business pushing his case," he argued, "since our party's stance is that the Venkataswami Commission probing the Tehelka scandal must complete its work before such a course of action is possible." Even Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan had said so in the Lok Sabha, he said.
Verma felt that while inducting ministers into the Cabinet was the prime minister's prerogative, the aspirations of senior BJP politicians should "not be overlooked".
"The NDA as a whole is not in favour of Fernandes saheb getting back the defence portfolio until the Venkataswami Commission clears his name," agreed Ram Tahal Chaudhary, BJP Member of Parliament from Ranchi. "I think he is a mature person and will not do anything that will harm the government."
He argued that tehelka.com had been stigmatised when it became known that it had used prostitutes to facilitate its investigations. The Samata leader should "exercise patience" till the commission gave its report.
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