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George Fernandes

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George Mathew Fernandes
Fernandes in 2002
MP
Assumed office
2009
Preceded bySharad Yadav
ConstituencyRajya Sabha from Bihar
MP
In office
1977–1980, 1989–1996, 2004–2009
ConstituencyMuzaffarpur
MP
In office
1996–2004
Preceded byVijoy Kumar Yadav
Succeeded byNitish Kumar
ConstituencyNalanda
Personal details
Born (1930-06-03) 3 June 1930 (age 94)
Mangalore, South Canara British India
Political partyJanata Dal (United)
SpouseLeila Kabir
Children1 son
Residence(s)Bangalore, India
As of September 26, 2006
Source: Biographical Sketch of Current Lok Sabha members

George Mathew Fernandes[1] (born June 3, 1930) is an Indian trade unionist, politician,[2] journalist,[3] agriculturist, and member of Rajya Sabha from Bihar.[4] He is a key member of the Janata Dal (United), and the founder member of the Samata Party. He has held several ministerial portfolios including communications, industry, railways, and defence, and was the only Christian minister in Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's cabinet.[5]

A native of Mangalore, Fernandes was sent to Bangalore in 1946 to be trained as a priest. He moved to Bombay in 1949, and joined the socialist trade union movement. As a fiery trade union leader, Fernandes organized many strikes and bandhs in Bombay in the 1950s and 1960s. The most notable agitation he organized was the 1974 Railway strike, when he was President of the All India Railwaymen's Federation.[6] Fernandes went underground during the Emergency era (1975), as he took on then prime minister Indira Gandhi for imposing a state of emergency, but was nabbed in 1976, and tried in the infamous Baroda dynamite case.

After Emergency was lifted, he won the Muzaffarpur seat in Bihar in 1977, and was appointed the Union Minister for Industries. During his tenure as union minister, he ordered American multinationals IBM and Coca Cola to leave the country, due to investment violations. He was the driving force behind the Konkan Railway project during his tenure as railway minister from 1989–1990. He was a defence minister in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government (1998–2004), when the Kargil War broke out between India and Pakistan, and India conducted its nuclear tests at Pokhran. Though a veteran socialist, Fernandes has been dogged by various controversies like the Barak Missile scandal, and Tehelka Scandal.

Early life

George Fernandes was born on June 3, 1930 to John Joseph Fernandes and Alice Martha Fernandes (née Pinto), in Mangalore to a middle-class devout Mangalorean Catholic family. The eldest of six children, his siblings are Lawrence, Michael, Paul, Aloysius, and Richard. His mother was a great admirer of King George V (who was also born on June 3), hence she named her first son George. His father was employed by the Peerless Finance group as an insurance executive, and headed their office of South India for several years. George was fondly called "Gerry" in close family circles. He completed his Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) at St. Aloysius College (Mangalore).[7]

In the orthodox tradition of the family, he, being the eldest son, was sent for religious education to St Peter's Seminary in Bangalore after his schooling at the age of 16, to be trained as a Roman Catholic priest from 1946 to 1948.[8][9] At the age of 19, he left the seminary due to sheer frustration because he was appalled that the rectors ate better food and sat at higher tables than the seminarians.[10] He later confessed that, "I was disillusioned, because there was a lot of difference between precept and practice where the Church was concerned."[8] He began his working life at the age of 19, organising exploited workers in the road transport industry and in the hotels and restaurants in Mangalore.[11][12]

Life in Bombay

After leaving the seminary, Fernandes moved to Bombay in 1949 in search of a job. His life was tough in Bombay, and he had to sleep on the streets, until he got a proof reader's job in a newspaper.[13] He came into contact with veteran union leader D'Mello, and the socialist Rammanohar Lohia, who were the greatest influences on his life.[13][14] Later, he joined the socialist trade union movement.[10] He rose to prominence as a trade unionist and fought for the rights of labourers in small scale service industries such as hotels and restaurants. Emerging as a key figure in the Bombay labour movement in the early 1950s, Fernandes was a central figure in the unionisation of sections of Bombay labour in the 1950s.[15] As a labour organizer, he served many prison terms when his workforce engaged in fights with company goons.[16] He served as a member of the Bombay Municipal Corporation from 1961 to 1968. He won in the civic election in 1961 and, till 1968, continuously raised the problems of the exploited workers in the representative body of the metropolis.[17]

The pivotal moment that thrust Fernandes into limelight was his decision to contest the 1967 general elections. He was offered a party ticket for the Bombay South constituency by the Samyukta Socialist Party against the politically more popular Sadashiv Kanoji Patil of the Indian National Congress in Bombay. Sadashiv Kanoji Patil, or S.K.Patil, as he was popularly known, was a seasoned politician, with two decades of experience behind him. Nevertheless, Fernandes won against Patil by garnering 48.5% of the votes polled in the election, and earned his nickname, "George the Giantkiller". The shocking defeat ended Patil's political career.[18]

Fernandes emerged as a key leader in the upsurge of strike actions in Bombay during the second half of the 1960s but, by the beginnings of the 1970s, the impetus of his leadership had largely disappeared.[15] In 1969, he was chosen General Secretary of the Samyukta Socialist Party, and in 1973 became the Chairman of the Socialist Party.[17] After the 1970s, Fernandes failed to make major inroads in Bombay's growing private-sector industries.[15]

1974 Railway strike

The most notable strike organized by Fernandes, when he was President of the All India Railwaymen's Federation, was the All India Railway strike of 1974, where the entire nation was brought to a halt. The strike, which started on May 8, 1974, at the time of economic crisis, had its roots in the labour movement, and provoked strong government reactions and massive arrests.[19] According to Amnesty International, 30,000 trade unionists were detained, most held under preventive detention laws. Those arrested included not only members of the strike action committee and trade unionists, but also railwaymen who participated in the strike.[20] The strike was called off unilaterally on May 27, 1974 by the Action Committee. As explained later by Fernandes, "the strike was called off because those conducting the strike had started speaking in different voices."[21] Although large number of prisoners were released, among them Fernandes, thousands remained in detention, charged with specific offenses.[20] The strike led to a sense of insecurity and threat that led to Indira Gandhi’s imposition of the Emergency era in 1975. Previous strikes were aimed at companies or industries, but this stike was aimed at the government, and from its ramifications proved to be the most successful of disastrous industrial actions in Indian history.[19]

Emergency era and union ministry

George Fernandes, after his arrest in 1976
Main article: The Emergency (India)

The reigning Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, declared a state of emergency on June 25, 1975 due to internal political disturbances. Accordingly, all fundamental rights enjoyed in the Indian Constitution were suspended. Political dissidents, newspaper reporters, opposition leaders who opposed emergency were jailed. George Fernandes, along with like-minded leaders, opposed this blatant misuse of power. A warrant was issued in Fernandes' name and subsequently he went underground to escape arrest and prosecution. When the police failed to capture him, they arrested and tortured his brother, Lawrence Fernandes, to reveal his brother's whereabouts.[22] On June 10, 1976, he was finally arrested in Calcutta on charges of smuggling dynamite to blow up government establishments in protest against the imposition of emergency, in what came to be known as the Baroda dynamite case.[23] After his arrest, Amnesty International members cabled the Government requesting that he be given immediate access to a lawyer and that his physical protection be guaranteed.[24] Three world leaders from Germany, Norway, and Austria were believed to have cabled Indira Gandhi and cautioned her against harming Fernandes.[7]

After the emergency was lifted on March 21, 1977, fresh general elections were held in India. The Congress Party, led by Indira Gandhi suffered a defeat at the hands of the Janata Party coalition created in 1977 out of several small parties that opposed Gandhi's Emergency era united to contest her.[25][26] The Janata Party and its allies came to power, headed by Morarji Desai, who became the first non-Congress Prime Minister of India.[27] Fernandes won the Muzaffarpur seat in Bihar by an over 300,000 vote margin in 1977 from jail where he was lodged in the Baroda dynamite case,[28] despite he not even visiting the constituency.[14] He was also appointed the Union Minister for Industries.[29] During his union ministership, he clashed with American multinationals like IBM and Coca Cola insisting them to implement FERA, the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, which had been passed under Indira Gandhi's government. Under the FERA, foreign investors could not own more than 40 percent of the share capital in Indian enterprises. The two multinationals decided to shut down their Indian operations, when Fernandes pressed ahead with rigid enforcement of FERA.[30]

Party memberships and railway ministry

Fernandes with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2000

During his tenure as a minister in the Janata Party, he continued to be uncomfortable with certain elements of the broad-based Janata coalition, especially with the leaders of the erstwhile Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Jan Sangh in the Union Cabinet. In a debate preceding a vote of confidence two years into the government's tenure in 1979, he vehemently spoke out against the practice of permitting members to retain connections to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) while being in the ministry in the Janata Party. The leaders of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, among them Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani, refused to give up their allegiance with the RSS, leading to a split within the Janata Party. The issue of "dual membership" caused Morarji Desai to lose the vote of confidence, and his government was reduced to a minority in the Lok Sabha.[31] After the Janata Party started disintegrating in 1979, Charan Singh left it to form the Janata (Secular) Party and with support from the Congress Party, replaced Desai as Prime Minister.[32]

In the seventh general elections held in 1980, the Janata (Secular) ministry failed to show majority in the Lok Sabha, and Congress again became the ruling party.[32] Fernandes retained his Parliamentary seat from Muzaffarpur in 1980, and sat in the opposition.[33] He contested for the Lok Sabha in 1984 from Bangalore North constituency against future Railway minister and Congress candidate C. K. Jaffer Sheriff, but lost the election by a margin of 40,000 votes.[34] He then decided to shift his base to Bihar in 1989, when an anti-Congress wave was sweeping the country in the wake of the Bofors scandal,[28] and won Muzaffarpur in the 1989 and 1991 general elections,[33] He later joined the Janata Dal, a party which was formed from the Janata Party at Bangalore in August 1988.[35] His second tenure as Minister of Railways in the V.P. Singh's government from 1989–1990, though short-lived, was quite eventful.[4][6] He was the driving force behind the Konkan Railway project, connecting Mangalore with Bombay.[36] The project happened to be the first major development in the history of Indian Railways since independence.[37]

Fernandes broke away from the erstwhile Janata Dal and formed the Samata Party in 1994,[38] which became a key ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a party which is the current form of the erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh.[39] BJP formed a short lived government in the 1996 general elections along with the Samata Party and other allies. The government survived only for 13 days, since the BJP could not gather enough support from other parties to form a majority.[40][41] Fernandes later served in the opposition along with BJP during the two United Front governments (1996 – 1998) led by Janata Dal ministers H. D. Deve Gowda and Inder Kumar Gujral.[41] After the collapse of the United Front ministry led by Gujral, BJP and its allies won a slender majority in the 1998 general elections. The government lasted only for 13 few months, due to the non-cooperation of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader Jayalalitha.[42]

After the collapse of the second BJP-led coalition government, BJP and its allies formed a 24 party alliance called National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which became the first non-Congress coalition government in post-independence India to survive a full five-year term (1999–2004).[43] Later, Fernandes became the convenor of NDA.[44] On July 27, 1999, the Janata Dal again splitted into two factions, the Janata Dal (United) and the Janata Dal (Secular).[45] In 2003, Fernandes reunited with the Janata Dal (United), and also merged his Samata Party with it.[38][46]

Defence ministry

Main articles: Kargil War and Pokhran-II
Fernandes with US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in 2002

Fernandes served as the Defence Minister of India in both the second and third National Democratic Alliance governments (1998–2004).[6] It was during his tenure as the defence minister, when the Kargil war over Kashmir broke out between India and Pakistan in 1999. The war began when heavily armed Pakistan-backed intruders dug themselves in at heights of 16,000 feet (4,900 m) – 18,000 feet (5,500 m) on the Indian side of the Line of Control (LOC) along an 80 kilometres (50 mi) stretch north of Kargil. They began attacking the strategic highway linking Srinagar and Leh. As a result, the Indian army undertook the Operation Vijay to push back the Pakistani intruders and regain the occupied territories.[47] The inability of the Indian intelligence and military agencies to detect the infiltration early received criticism, both by the opposition as well as the media. However, Fernandes has refused to acknowledge the failure of intelligence agencies in detecting infiltration along Kargil sector.[48]

In May 1998, India conducted five nuclear tests at the Pokharan range in Rajasthan.[49] Earlier a staunch supporter of nuclear disarmament, Fernandes openly endorsed the NDA Government's decision to test the nuclear bombs.[50][51] He was also involved in skirmishes with the then Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy, Vishnu Bhagwat, over promotion of Vice-Admiral Harinder Singh as Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff. Bhagwat was subsequently sacked over the issue.[52] After the Tehelka defence scandal broke out in March 2001, Fernandes quit as defence minister, but was reappointed to the post later.[53] Fernandes has been the only defence minister of a nuclear power who has had a picture of Hiroshima bombing in his office. He has made 18 visits to the icy heights of the 6,600 metres (4.1 mi) Siachen glacier in Kashmir, which holds the record of being "the world's highest battlefield".[5][54] He was known for overseeing a huge increase in India's defence budget as compared to the allocations made by previous governments.[5]

Post defence ministership

The NDA Government lost power to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in the 2004 general elections.[55] Later, political observers alleged that Fernandes was locked in a bitter party rivalry with his one-time friend, Samata Party co-founder, Nitish Kumar.[56] In the 2009 general elections, he contested from Muzaffarpur as an independent candidate after being denied a ticket by the Janata Dal (United) on health grounds,[57] but lost the election.[58] On July 30, 2009, Fernandes filed his nomination for the mid-term poll being held for the Rajya Sabha seat vacated by Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav,[59] and was sworn in on August 4, 2009.[60]

Controversies

Baroda dynamite case

Main article: Baroda dynamite case

During the Emergency years from 1975 to 1977, Fernandes along with journalists Vikram Rao, Kirit Bhatt, and other socialists created an underground group with the aim of destabilizing the autocratic Indira Gandhi Government. They aimed at blasting vital installations on bridges. They procured dynamites from the quarries nearby Baroda. The plot leaked out and about 11 of them were charged with treason that attracted a life-sentence or hanging. On June 10, 1976, Fernandes was arrested in Calcutta and accused in the plot, which came to be known as the Baroda dynamite case. Following the victory of the Janata Party in 1977, all the prisoners were released, and cleared of the charges.[61]

Support to Secessionist Groups

Fernandes has supported and endorsed many secessionist movements and groups. He has been a long time supporter of The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist organization which sought to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka. Before joining the Vajpayee government in 1997, he organised a controversial public convention of pro-LTTE elements in New Delhi. In July 1998, he reportedly stopped the Indian Navy from intercepting ships suspected of carrying illegal arms to Tamil guerrilla groups. Fernandes was also a patron of the LTTE-backed Fund Raising Committee, set up to help the 26 accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. The Sri Lankan government apparently stated that, "the LTTE's biggest supporter in India is Defence Minister George Fernandes."[62] the Tibetan refugees fighting for freedom against China and Burmese rebels group, fighting against the military government in Myanmar.

Mr. Fernandes is a very active supporter of many Burmese anti-government movements. Quoted regularly on exiled Burmese radio stations, he often criticizes the junta and its members on a wide array of topics. He opposes the current government's drive to root out anti-Burmese insurgents along the Burmese-Indian border. During his tenures in office, gun runners were allowed to do business using Indian territories, often as stop overs en route from Thailand to Bangladesh.

He also revealed the infamous "Operation Leech" incident, which resulted in the capture of Arakan Army insurgents on one of India's islands in the Andaman Sea. He also fights for the welfare and also release of anti-Burmese rebels held by the Indian Government.[citation needed] Once, when the National United Party of Arakan complained to Mr. Fernandes of its members being captured in Indian waters, while carrying arms, he issued orders restricting Indian military movements, and all counter-terror / counter-insurgency operations conducted in the region to be asked for approval from the Central Government.

He also claims that the several islands in the Andaman Sea, including the Coco Islands, which belong to Myanmar, were gifted by the former Prime Minister of India Nehru to the Burmese, rather than part of the original territory gained at Independence.

Tehelka Scandal

Main article: Operation West End

Fernandes' name figured prominently in Operation West End, a sting operation in which a group of reporters, armed with hidden cameras, from an investigative journal, Tehelka, posing as representatives of a fictitious arms company, appeared to bribe the Bharatiya Janata Party President, Bangaru Laxman, a senior officer in the Indian Army and Jaya Jaitley, the General Secretary of the Samata Party and Fernandes' companion.

The scandal caused uproar all over India and Fernandes was forced to resign from his post as a Defence Minister. He was subsequently cleared by the one man commission headed by retired Justice Phukan. The Phukan Committee Report was rejected by the UPA Government headed by the Congress Party and a new committee headed by Justice K Venkataswami was appointed. The Committee, after lengthy investigation, also absolved Fernandes in the case.

Barak Missile scandal

Main article: Barak Missile scandal

On October 10, 2006, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a First information report (FIR) against Fernandes, his associate Jaya Jaitley, and former navy chief Admiral Sushil Kumar for alleged irregularities in purchasing the ₹7 billion (US$84 million) Barak missile system from Israel in 2000. Fernandes, however, claimed that the scientific adviser to the Defence Minister in NDA Government (1998–2004), who later became the President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam, had cleared the missile deal.[63]

As defence minister

His tenure as a defence minister was a controversial one. Following the Pokhran nuclear tests in 1998, he openly branded China as "India's enemy number one".[64] He later regretted for his statements, saying it was wrongly interpreted by the media.[5][54] He has also criticized China for providing sophisticated weapons to Pakistan to build its missiles, and has rapped the Chinese for strengthening their military across the Himalayas in Tibet.[54]

Fernandes has claimed that he was strip-searched twice at Dulles Airport in the US Capital area, when he was defense minister—once on an official visit to Washington in early 2002 and another time while en route to Brazil in mid 2003. The details of the strip-search were mentioned in American foreign policy analyst Strobe Talbott's book Engaging India - Diplomacy, Democracy and the Bomb.[65] However, the US embassy in Delhi issued a formal denial that Fernandes had been strip-searched,[66] and said that, "Fernandes was not strip-searched but a security wand was waved over him when a key in his pocket set off the metal detector."[67] Subsequently, the then United States Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage, personally apologized to Fernandes over the incident.[67] He was accused into the 2002 coffin scam, following allegations that 500 poor quality aluminium caskets were bought from the United States at rates 13 times more than the actual price, to transport the bodies of slain soldiers, after the Kargil War.[68] However, the CBI gave a clean chit to Fernandes in the scam in its 2009 charge sheet.[69]

Writings, journalism, and other work

Fernandes liked writing and journalism even during his student days. He was the editor of a Konkani language monthly Konkani Yuvak (Konkani Youth) in 1949. The same year, he was the editor of the Raithavani weekly in Kannada.[70] The Dockman weekly in English, which had ceased publication, reappeared under the editorship of Fernandes in 1952–53.[71][72] Though not a prolific writer, Fernandes has penned several books on politics such as What Ails the Socialists (1972), The Kashmir Problem, Railway Strike of 1974, Dignity for all: essays in socialism and democracy (1991), and his autobiography titled George Fernandes speaks (1991).[73] He was also the editor of an English monthly, The Other side, and the Chairman on the editorial board of the Hindi monthly Pratipaksh.[3] A human rights activist, Fernandes has been a member of the Amnesty International, People's Union for Civil Liberties, and the Press Council of India.[73]

Family and personal life

Fernandes married Leila Kabir, daughter of renowned educationist and former Union minister Humayun Kabir on July 21, 1977, barely three months after their first conversation on a flight back to Delhi from Calcutta. Fernandes, then the general secretary of the Samyukta Socialist Party, was returning from Bangladesh while Leila was on her way back from the battlefront where she had gone as an assistant director of the Red Cross. They began dating and met frequently, and a month later, Fernandes proposed marriage.[74] They have a son, Sean Fernandes, who is an investment banker based in New York.[75]

Fernandes speaks ten languages — Konkani, English, Hindi, Tulu, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Malayalam, and Latin. Konkani is his mother tongue, and like most Mangalorean Catholics, he can speak Tulu and Kannada. He learnt Marathi and Urdu in jail, and Latin while he was in the seminary in his early youth. He is extremely fluent in Hindi and English.[76] Fernandes is suffering from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, and as of January 2010, is undergoing treatment at Baba Ramdev's ashram at Haridwar for the diseases.[77]

After being diagnosed with Alzheimers and Parkinson's disease, Fernandes has been facing issues with his estranged wife Leila and son Sean. The media has highlighted the treatment mettled out to him and the revoking of access to his brothers and long time colleague, Jaya Jaitly, to meet Fernandes, by Leila and Sean. The issue took an ugly turn on February 20, 2010 when Fernandes was declared missing and accusations were made against his wife Leila and son Sean. Fernandes' property worth over ₹25 crore (US$3.0 million), is believed to be the heart of this custody issue.[74][75][78]

References

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  2. ^ Sharma, Surender (2010-07-01). "By George! It's out on the street". MiD DAY. Retrieved 2010-09-03. As if it had not earned enough bad name and publicity for one of the most veteran politicians and trade unionist George Fernandes, claimants to his legacy slug it out in streets on Wednesday.
  3. ^ a b "Biographical Sketch (Member of Parliament: 13th Lok Sabha)". Parliament of India. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
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  8. ^ a b Fernandes & Mathew 1991, p. xi harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFFernandesMathew1991 (help)
  9. ^ Fernandes & Mathew 1991, p. 200 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFFernandesMathew1991 (help)
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  21. ^ Sharma, Giriraj Kishore (1982). Labour movement in India: its past and present, from 1885 to 1980 (3 ed.). Sterling. p. 163.
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  25. ^ Gort, Jerald D.; Jansen, Henry; Vroom, H. M. (2002). Religion, conflict and reconciliation: multifaith ideals and realities. Rodopi. p. 246. ISBN 9789042014602.
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  28. ^ a b "George Fernandes Files Nomination as Independent". Outlook. 2009-04-01. Retrieved 2010-08-08. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  29. ^ A. G., Noorani (October 23 – November 5, 1999). "The meaning of George Fernandes". Frontline. 16 (22). Retrieved 2010-08-09. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); More than one of |work= and |journal= specified (help)
  30. ^ Kux, Dennis (1992). India and the United States: estranged democracies, 1941-1991. DIANE Publishing. p. 363. ISBN 9781428981898.
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  36. ^ "The Beginning" (PDF). Konkan Railway. Retrieved 2010-09-03. Then, in 1989, when Mr. George Fernandes became Railway Minister, the dream was pursued with greater vigour.
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  39. ^ Advani, A.H (2004). Business India, Issues 674-679. p. 40. The bjp's key ally, Samata Party, is in a total disarray in Bihar as of now.
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  41. ^ a b Burns, John F. (1996-05-29). "Hindu Nationalist Cabinet Quits in India as Defeat Looms". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  42. ^ Rana 2000, p. 50
  43. ^ Hardgrave, Robert l.; Kochanek, Stanley A. (2007). India: government and politics in a developing nation. Cengage Learning. p. 262. ISBN 9780495007494.
  44. ^ Iyer, Shekhar (2008-12-15). "Sharad takes over from 'ill' George as NDA convenor". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
  45. ^ Rana 2000, p. 63, "On 27 July 1999 the JD again split into two factions — JD (United) headed by Sharad Yadav and JD (Secular) headed by Deve Gowda. Its earlier two factions the Samata and the Lok Shakti agreed to unite under one umbrella JD(U)."
  46. ^ Parsai, Gargi (2003-10-31). "Fernandes to head Janata Dal (United)". The Hindu. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
  47. ^ Joshi, Manoj; Baweja, Harinder. "Kargil War (Blasting Peace)". India Today. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
  48. ^ "Fernandes again denies intelligence failure". Rediff News. Rediff. 1999-07-18. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
  49. ^ Pratap, Anita (1998-05-17). "India releases pictures of nuclear tests". Reuters. CNN. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  50. ^ Frank, Katherine (2002). Indira: the life of Indira Nehru Gandhi. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 528. ISBN 9780395730973. Twenty years later, in 1998, Fernandes - a long-time campaigner for nuclear disarmament - warmly defended India's nuclear testing initiative while serving as Minister of Defence in the BJP Government headed by A. B. Vajpayee. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  51. ^ Fernandes & Mathew 1991, p. 363 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFFernandesMathew1991 (help), "The nations of the world, both nuclear and non-nuclear, must be told in no uncertain terms that India stands for total nuclear disarmament, and the only way to prevent proliferation of nuclear weapons is to ban them once and for all."
  52. ^ "Navy chief Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat sacked; wife blames 'communal politics'". Rediff News. Rediff. 1998-12-30. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  53. ^ Venkatesan, V. (October 27 – November 09, 2001). "The return of Fernandes". Frontline. 18 (22). Retrieved 2010-08-09. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); More than one of |work= and |journal= specified (help)
  54. ^ a b c McGirk, Tim. "Who Would Have Guessed?". Time Asia. Time. Retrieved 2010-09-03. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  55. ^ Lavakare, Arvind (2004-06-09). "Why the NDA lost". Rediff News. Rediff. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
  56. ^ Tewary, Amarnath (2003-01-20). "George, Derailed". Outlook. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
  57. ^ "George Fernandes Files Nomination as Independent". Outlook News. Outlook. 2009-04-01. Retrieved 2010-09-11. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  58. ^ Jha, Priti Nath (2009-05-17). "George Fernandes loses security deposit". The Times of India. The Times Group. Retrieved 2010-09-11. George Fernandes, who contested the Muzaffarpur Lok Sabha seat as an Independent candidate, lost the election as well as his security deposit marking an end to his 32-year-long political association with Muzaffarpur.
  59. ^ Sahay, Anand Mohan (2009-07-30). "Fernandes files nomination for RS by poll as JD-U candidate". Rediff News. Rediff. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
  60. ^ Mishra, Vandita (2009-08-09). "Leila and George". The Indian Express. Indian Express Group. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
  61. ^ Vyas, Bhaskar; Vyas, Rajni (2007). Experiments with truth and non-violence: the Dalai Lama in exile from Tibet (illustrated ed.). Concept Publishing Company. p. 41. ISBN 9788180693595.
  62. ^ "Fernandes's flirtation with the LTTE is ominous for Sri Lanka". Rediff News. Rediff. 2000-12-07. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
  63. ^ "CBI names George Fernandes in arms scandal". Press Trust of India. The Times of India. 2006-10-10. Retrieved 2010-09-07. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  64. ^ Rana, Vijay (2003-04-21). "China and India's mutual distrust". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
  65. ^ "Fernandes strip-searched twice during visit to US: Talbott". Press Trust of India. 2004-07-10. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  66. ^ "US apologises over body search". BBC News. BBC. 2004-07-14. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  67. ^ a b "Strip-search incident: Armitage apologises". Press Trust of India. 2004-07-14. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  68. ^ Press Trust of India (2009-08-22). "CBI files chargesheet in Kargil coffin scam". The Times of India. The Times Group. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  69. ^ Chakrabarti, Sumon (2009-08-22). "Fernandes gets clean chit in Kargil coffin scam". CNN-IBN. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  70. ^ Śarmā 1978, p. 131
  71. ^ Bogaert, Michael (1970). Trade unionism in Indian ports: a case study at Calcutta and Bombay. Shri Ram Centre for Industrial Relations. p. 37.
  72. ^ Europa Publications (2003). The International Who's Who 2004 (67 ed.). Routledge. p. 527. ISBN 9781857432176.
  73. ^ a b Rajamani 2000, p. 152
  74. ^ a b "'I came back to give my son a father but the father never showed up'". The Telegraph (Calcutta). 2010-01-31. Retrieved 2010-08-07. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  75. ^ a b "Catfight on birthday - Ladies clash over George". The Telegraph (Calcutta). 2010-06-04. Retrieved 2010-08-07. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  76. ^ Rajamani, R. C. (2004-08-15). "George Fernandes, Socialist Who Speaks Many Tongues". Asian Tribune. Retrieved 2010-08-07. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  77. ^ "George Fernandes being treated for Alzheimer's by Yoga Guru Ramdev". DNA. 2010-01-19. Retrieved 2010-01-19. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  78. ^ Satish, D. P. (2010-02-20). "Ex-defence minister George Fernandes goes missing". CNN-IBN. Retrieved 2010-09-07.

Bibliography

  • Desai, Akshayakumar Ramanlal (1986). Violation of democratic rights in India, Volume 2. Popular Prakashan. ISBN 9780861321308. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Fernandes, George; Mathew, George (1991). George Fernandes speaks. Ajanta Publications (India). ISBN 9788120203174. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Rajamani, R.C. (2000). Portraits Of India's Parliamentarians For The New Millennium (Lok Sabha). Gyan Books. ISBN 9788121207027. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Rana, Mahendra Singh (2000). India votes: Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections 1999, 2000 : poll analysis, election data, and party manifestos. B.R. Pub. Corp. ISBN 9788176461399. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Śarmā, Rādheśyāma (1978). Who after Morarji?. Pankaj Publications. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Defence
1999–2004 		Succeeded by

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