Centre is lying, asserts Pawar

NEW DELHI, Jan 3: The Vishnu Bhagwat affair is threatening to snowball into a major controversy with the Congress hitting out strongly at...

NEW DELHI, Jan 3: The Vishnu Bhagwat affair is threatening to snowball into a major controversy with the Congress hitting out strongly at the Government for seeking shelter behind the 8220;lie8221; that it had agreed to the ouster of the Naval Chief.

Today again, this time in Kochi, Congress leader Sharad Pawar charged the Government with deception and denied that the party had been taken into confidence about the decision to sack Bhagwat.The Government sought to extricate itself from further embarrassment by attributing what Pawar called 8220;a total lie8221; to a 8220;misunderstanding8221;.The Prime Minister8217;s Principal Secretary, Brajesh Mishra, maintained that the Congress leader was confusing the issue. 8220;I never claimed a concurrence of views,8221; he told ENS today. 8220;It was a consultation. We informed them of the situation concerning the Chief of Staff. Each side expressed its views. The question of concurrence never arises in a consultation.8221;

Mishra8217;s explanation is seen as a tacit acknowledgement that the Congresshad reservations about taking an extreme step like sacking the Navy Chief despite the Government8217;s claims of grave provocation.

In fact, in the meeting which has prompted Pawar to mount his offensive, both he and Manmohan Singh are believed to have cautioned the Prime Minister to handle the matter with care and caution.

Pawar, a former Defence Minister, pointed out that there have always been differences between the defence chiefs and the bureaucracy and it was for the political leadership to strike a proper balance.

The matter was left at that, said Congress sources, adding that they thought the Government would heed the advice given to it. The sources said that at no point in the meeting did the two leaders indicate that the party would go along with a decision to sack Bhagwat.

Former Prime Minister I K Gujaral was also present at the meeting which was attended by Defence Minister George Fernandes, Home Minister L K Advani and Mishra. However, Gujral was not available for comment.The Congress hasdecided to go on the offensive against the Government in retaliation for the the impression being created that it was a party to Bhagwat8217;s ouster.Congress sources said that Pawar8217;sdenial comess at the instance of party president Sonia Gandhi who has been advising against allowing the matter to become a public controversy.Although a section of the Congress was keen to raise the issue in Parliament, Gandhi asked Pawar and to meet the Vajpayee and discuss it privately.Party sourcessaid that the Pime Minister seemedreluctant to meet the Congressleaders and kept them dangling for several days before he finally called them in.Today, another ex-Defence Minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav, joined them in the criticism against the Government8217;s unprecented step against a defence chief.