Nitish just shunned George Fernandes: Jaya Jaitly

DURING 2009 POLLS, FERNANDES WAS FORCED TO FILE HIS NOMINATION AS AN INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE FROM MUZAFFARPUR

NEW DELHI: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, who referred to former defence minister and Samata Party leader George Fernandes as his mentor, did not treat him well, Jaya Jaitly, a former president of the Samata Party, has said.

Jaitly, who has made this disclosure in her memoir, “Life Among the Scorpions — Memoirs of a Woman in Indian Politics” , told Hindustan Times in an interview that she is disappointed by how Fernandes has been treated by his political colleagues, especially Kumar.

“George Fernandes supported Kumar for many years and the latter also looked up to him as his mentor. But when Fernandes fell ill, Kumar just shunned him,” Jaitly claimed.

On the strained ties between Kumar and Fernandes, she said: “You can’t make big speeches saying he was my neta (leader), but then don’t even care to ask about his well-being.”

During the 2009 general elections, Fernandes was forced to file his nomination as an independent candidate from Muzaffarpur, after he was denied a ticket by the Janata Dal (United) on health grounds.

Fernandes, who was then a convener of the Bjp-led National Democratic Alliance, was also removed from the party, a decision that was announced by Kumar, for defying the brass by contesting elections.

“…He wrote a letter saying you won’t get a ticket and refused to meet him (Fernandes). Nothing was done with any element of kindness or decency,” she said.

“And I may sound stupid, using these words, but you have to bring women in politics to bring in kindness and humanity,” she added.

Jaitly’s book details the infamous ‘Operation West End’ sting operation carried out by news publication Tehelka, which alleged that as president of the Samata Party, she had taken bribe of ₹2 lakh.

The sting paved the way for the resignation of Fernandes as defence minister.

Jaitly, who is still facing trial in connection with the cases filed after the sting operation, said she had expected the BJP to treat Fernandes differently.

She is also miffed that the Congress has not apologised to the leader till date, despite him getting a clean chit.

“I did expect something different (from the Vajpayee government). Everybody got panic stricken and there were far too many knee-jerk reactions,” she said, adding that “Even George for many months was shouted at.”

On how most of his political colleagues have withdrawn from calling on the socialist leader who was elected to the Lok Sabha nine times, she said: “Once in a while LK Advani goes to see him; once a year maybe, Shard Pawar goes, I keep asking, hoping to hear that Nitish Kumar goes, but he does not. These are the things I feel sad about.”