BJP, Fernandes, SP in friendly match fixing: Cong

New Delhi, Oct 13: Charging the BJP, SP and former Defence Minister George Fernandes, accused of corruption in the purchase of Barak missile systems from Israel, with trying to befool the people with ''friendly match fixing'', the Congress today said it would stand as a bullwark against the ''pseudo'' and ''phoney'' secularists.

''It is clear that the BJP, SP and Mr Farnandes have decided to act in concert and to collude for self-serving purposes. These socialist, non-socialist and saffronised entities have only displayed their old affinity and also their well-known political hypocrisy and friendly match fixing while befooling the public,'' Congress Spokesman Abishek Singhvi told reporters.

The Congress was reacting to reports of the meetings between BJP senior leader L K Advani and Mr Fernandes and the former Defence Minister's statement on campaigning for the SP in the February assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.

The only ideology which was binding these forces was ''power'' and not socialism or secularism and the only principle which they were seeking to follow was aggrandisement, Mr Singhvi said.

Asked why the UPA government was not blacklisting the Israeli company as it did with Denel of South Africa following allegations of corruption, he said the quality of defence products had not been questioned so far.

Corruption in negotiations and the quality of defence equipment being purchased should not be linked, he explained.

Further, the CBI chargesheet against Mr Fernandes had come just two days ago and the case should be pursued on fast track, he said.

UNI

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