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After inaugurating a state-level convention of the Samata party in Bombay, Fernandes alleged that the tehelka management's professed aim of exposing corruption in arms deals was nothing but a venture to earn crores of rupees "which has nothing to do with the country's security".
"If they (the tehelka team) sincerely thought of the country's security, they should have approached the defence minister, who was shown in poor light, and if a satisfactory response was not forthcoming, they should have approached the prime minister or the President to discuss the matter," he said.
"Instead, they manipulated words and telecast the entire episode for general public consumption, for which they secured crores of rupees," he alleged.
Fernandes, who resigned as defence minister in the wake of the tehelka expose, iterated that "it has harmed the national security and morale of the country's defence services has been lowered as the entire army has been subjected to attack".
On why he reacted to the expose by resigning from the defence ministry, Fernandes said, "I did not have an opportunity to clarify my stand in Parliament as the morale of the defence forces was affected. A request to this effect was also made by me to the prime minister, but nothing was done. Therefore, I decided to resign.''
He said, "The country's military forces are very much stronger at present and financial allocations for the defence services which were not satisfactory some seven years ago are now quite sound."
On India's invitation to Pakistan military ruler General Pervez Musharraf for talks in New Delhi, Fernandes said, "It is a very good beginning, that too at the highest level, and the two countries are coming together for a good purpose.''
Regarding the Enron dispute in Maharashtra, the Samata party chief said that the state unit of the party had expressed opposition to the power project.
UNI
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