George Mathew
Fernandes, a former Union Minister of Defence in the Vajpayee Government, died
on Tuesday, 29th January 2019 in New Delhi. He was 88. He was a
former Trade Unionist, Politician, Journalist, Agriculturist and a Member of
Rajya Sabha from Bihar. .Fernandes, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, had
swine flu for the last few days.
A Veteran
Parliamentarian who was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1967, Fernandes
served several times as a Union Cabinet Minister, holding portfolios such as
Communications,. Industry and Railways,
besides Defence. Fernandes won nine Lok Sabha elections from 1967 to 2004.
Arrested during
the emergency, Fernandes was the Industries Minister in the first non-Congress
Government that came to power after the Janatha Party defeated Mrs. Indira Gandhi - whom Fernandes once
called a “Congenital liar”.
A native of
Mangalore, Fernandes was sent to Bengaluru in 1946 to be trained as priest. In 194, he moved to Bombay, where he joined the
Socialist Trade Union movement. Becoming a trade union leader, Fernandes
organized many strikes and bandhs in Bombay in the 1950s and 1960s while
working with the Indian Railways. He defeated S.K..Patil of Indian National
Congress in the 1967 Parliamentary elections from the South Bombay ( now South
Mumbai) constituency. Close after the struggle of Loco men under the leadership
of All India Loco Running Staff Association (AILRSA) IN August, 1973, Annual
Conference of All India Railway Men’s Federation (AIRF) was held. Sri Fernandes
who was inducted from Central Railway by the National Railway Trade Uion (NRMU)
gave the slogan of UNITED STRUGGLE for
achieving the basic demands of Railway men., Sri Fernandes was that time
Convener of United Council of Trade Unions (UCTU) which had already been
heading some state wise industrial struggle and popular among the working
class. He was the Chairman of Socialist Party. Sri Peter Alvares, who was a
Member of national Executive of Socialist Party and had been functioning as
President of AIRF opposed this slogan. Fernandes won the election against Peter
Alvares as President of AIRF.
In this background
the AIRF gave call of holding a convention in Delhi on 27th February
1974 for considering the steps to be taken for securing justice. The response
was beyond expectation. National Coordination Committee of Railway men’s struggle (NCCRS) was formed. AIRF, AILRSA,
AIREC, AITUC, CITU, BRMS and around 125 Railway Trade Unions joined hands with
the biggest labour strike ever seen by the country, since the leaders called
for conciliation were arrested strike pre-opened from 8th to 2nd
May 1974.14 lakh employees participated and entire Railway traffic paralyzed .
Around 1 lakh employees were removed from service under 14(ii)/149. 50,000
Casual Labourers were terminated without any notice, 30,000 employees kept
under suspension – various type of harassment. The Railway Bureaucracy was able
to mobilize a section of reformist leadership of AIRF and weaken the struggle.
Finally the strike ended on May 28th, making a number of “alive
martyrs’’ contributed by one or other. The leadership was under the illusion
that successful strike even for 7 days would force the Government to come to a
settlement. They never took into account the fact that the authorities were equally
prepared for holding out in any strike for about 3 weeks or even more. Later in
June 1975 internal emergency was declared by Smt. Indira Gandhi and the
political background was changed.
Fernandes went
underground during the emergency era of 1975, giving a call to railway men to
oppose emergency. The second leadership of AIRF disowned his instruction and as
per the direction from Railway Board, George Fernandes has been removed from
the post of President at the Annual General Body meeting held at Guwahati in
his absence.
He was challenging
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for imposing a state of emergency but in 1976 he
was arrested and tried in the infamous Baroda dynamite case.
In 1977, after the
emergency had been lifted, Fernandes won the Muzaffarpur seat in Bihar in
absentia and was appointed as Union Minister for Industries. During his tenure
as Union Minister, he ordered American multinationals IBM and Coca Cola to leave the country, due
to investment violations. He was the driving force behind the Konkan Railway
project during his tenure as Railway Minister from 1989 to 1990. He was a
Defence Minister in the NDA Government
(1998 – 2004) when the Kargil Was broke out between India and Pakistan,
and India conducted its nuclear test at Pokhran. A veteran Socialist, Fernandes
has been dogged by various controversies including Barak Missile Scandal and
the Tehelka affair. He was accused in the 2002 coffin scam, following
allegations that 500 poor quality aluminum caskets were bought from the United
States at rates 13 times more than the actual price, to transport the bodies of
slain soldiers, after the Kargil war…..
...... DEEP CONDOLENCES .....
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