Fernandes stuns Advani, announces will campaign for Mulayam

New Delhi, Oct 13 (UNI) Much to the discomfiture of the BJP leader L K Advani, NDA convenor and former Defence Minister George Fernandes today reiterated his intention of campaigning for Samajwadi Party, led by Mulayam Singh Yadav, in Uttar Pradesh.

Emerging after an hour-long meeting with the senior BJP leader, Mr Fernandes, one of the founders of the NDA, the only non-Congress coalition to complete its term at the Centre, said there was ''no contradiction'' in his stand because the NDA was a ''platform of political parties.'' He also said the issue did not figure in the meeting.

Mr Advani's meeting with the NDA convenor was the first after the CBI named Mr Fernandes in the FIR place in connection with the purchase of Barak missile system for the Indian Navy. However, the BJP has fully backed him, saying that nobody could find fault with his personal integrity.

The meeting also takes in the background of Mr Fernandes' recent remarks that he would 'happily leave the NDA' if he was not wanted after the reports that the JD (U) had asked the NDA to remove the former Defence Minister from the post of Convenor.

He had also attended the meeting, convened by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav yesterday at Lucknow, marking the death anniversary of veteran socialist leader Late Ram Manohar Lohia, where he had announced that he would campaign for Mr yadav's party.

With this development, NDA is in a piquant situation in UP where the BJP is fighting on its own battle while its NDA partner, the JD(U) has announced its intentions to fight with Apna Dal, led by Sone Lal Patel. Mr Fernandes has now announced he would side with the Samajwadi Party.

UNI MCN VD HT1535