George’s legal salvo for Sonia

In the morning, Sudhindra Kulkarni, one of PM A.B. Vajpayee’s aides, had come with an important message from 7 Race Course Road. In the afternoon, before Fernandes left home again, Kulkarni had driven down to the Defence Minister’s official residence and met him a second time. After Kulkarni left, Fernandes too prepared to leave for a destination he would not disclose.

An unusually cold and curt Fernandes stepped out and granted a couple of minutes to reporters. ‘‘I should have sent that legal notice long ago. And she (Sonia Gandhi) does not even know the difference betwen a casket and a coffin,” he said.

In the notice, Fernandes demanded ‘‘an unconditional written apology from the Congress president within 72 hours of receipt of the notice” failing which appropirate proceedings against her will be initiated for defaming the Minister. against Fernandes’’.

The Defence Minister admitted he was ‘‘talking to everybody’’. He would not divulge whether he tried speaking to Mulayam again or whether he had called up Mayawati.