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Vajpayee's men react to Deve Gowda's salvo on T-90

It was former defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav who initiated the process of acquiring T-90 tanks during his visit to Russia in September 1997, the Union government has said.

It was reacting to former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's warning against 'jeopardising' national interests with the Rs 50 billion deal with Russia.

A defence ministry statement said that on receipt of letters from various persons, including Deve Gowda, advocating the procurement of T-72 tanks, the ministry of defence had consulted the army headquarters a second time. In response, the deputy chief of army staff had categorically asserted ''any suggestion that T-72 is superior to T-90 is incorrect and stems from motivated interests.''

The statement said it was during the United Front's reign that Russia first offered T-90. Then, Mulayam had given top priority to its acquisition. The government decided to evaluate the tank by a technical delegation, headed by a lieutenant general, who is currently the deputy chief of the army staff, in February, 1998.

The statement, however, was silent on Deve Gowda's claim that the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs recently cleared the deal brushing aside the clarifications he had sought from the prime minister.

It also did not give details about the trials of the T-90 tanks.

Deve Gowda had said that he had pleaded with the government not to ignore the indigenous manufacturing facilities at Avadi in Tamil Nadu.

He also reminded the powers that T-72 and T-80 tanks were evaluated in India way back in 1992-93.

UNI

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