June 10, 2004
Following is the text of the reply given by CPI(M) General Secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet to George Fernandes, Convenor, National Democratic Alliance in response to his letter dated June 8, 2004.
Dear Shri Fernandes,
I
have
received
your
letter
of
June
8,
2004.
You
have
suggested
that
the
fight
against
corruption
should
be
waged
jointly
by
all
those
in
public
life.
Further,
you
have,
with
this
in
mind,
asked
for
removal
of
those
“corrupt
and
criminal
elements”
in
the
Council
of
Ministers.
I
am
happy
that
there
is
a
belated
realization
on
your
part
that
the
Council
of
Ministers
must
be
kept
free
from
corrupt
and
criminal
elements.
I
wish,
however,
that
you
as
the
Convenor
of
the
National
Democratic
Alliance
had
been
conscious
of
this
need
when
the
NDA
was
in
government.
You
will
recall
that
on
the
question
of
the
three
ministers
who
were
charge-sheeted
in
the
Babri
Masjid
demolition
case
and
in
the
Tehelka
tapes
affair,
parliament
was
repeatedly
held
up
demanding
the
removal
of
the
ministers
concerned
and
action
against
those
involved
in
the
wrong
doing
seen
to
be
done
on
tape.
Neither
were
the
three
ministers
including
the
then
home
minister
removed
nor
even
a
FIR
was
lodged
against
those
seen
taking
money
in
the
Tehelka
tapes.
If
your
current
realization
to
fight
corrupt
and
criminal
elements
is
to
have
any
credibility
I
hope
you
will
publicly
accept
that
the
stance
of
the
NDA
government
in
the
above
matters
was
wrong.
Such
a
step
would
help
in
mobilising
all
sections
in
public
life
to
take
a
firm
stand
against
both
corruption
and
criminalisation
in
politics.
With
regards
Sincerely
Sd/-
(Harkishan Singh Surjeet)