George Fernandes: Difference between revisions

| party              = Samata Manch<ref name=manch>{{cite news|last=Gupta|first=Smita|title=Now a Samata Manch to build anti-Congress platform|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/now-a-samata-manch-to-build-anticongress-platform/article5265767.ece|access-date=18 May 2014|newspaper=The Hindu|date=24 October 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226012029/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/now-a-samata-manch-to-build-anticongress-platform/article5265767.ece|archive-date=26 December 2013}}</ref>

| otherparty        = {{bulleted list|[[Samyukta Socialist Party]]|[[Janata Party]]|[[Janata Dal]]|[[Samata Party]]|[[Janata Dal (United)]]}}

'''George Mathew Fernandes'''<ref>{{harvnb|Reddy|1977|p=144}} "(i) Accused George Mathew Fernandes (hereinafter referred to as George Fernandes) was the former Chairman of the Socialist Party of India and also the President of the All India Railway- men's Federation."</ref> (3 June 1930 – 29 January 2019) was an Indian trade unionist, statesman,<ref>{{cite news | first = Surender | last = Sharma | title = By George! It's out on the street | date = 1 July 2010 | url = http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/jul/010710-Catfight-George-Fernandes-property-Jaya-Jaitley.htm | work = [[MiD DAY]] | access-date = 3 September 2010 |quote=As if it had not earned enough bad name and publicity for one of the most veteran politicians and trade unionist George Fernandes, claimants to his legacy slug it out in streets on Wednesday. | archive-url = https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mid-day.com%2Fnews%2F2010%2Fjul%2F010710-Catfight-George-Fernandes-property-Jaya-Jaitley.htm&date=2012-03-02 | archive-date = 2 March 2012}}</ref> journalist,<ref name="jr">{{cite web | url = http://www.parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/lok13/biodata/13BI34.htm | title = Biographical Sketch (Member of Parliament: 13th Lok Sabha) | access-date = 12 September 2010 | publisher = [[Parliament of India]] | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100812115404/http://www.parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/lok13/biodata/13BI34.htm | archive-date = 12 August 2010 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> and member of [[Rajya Sabha]] from [[Bihar]] for a short while, and a member of Lok Sabha for a very long period, starting from Bombay (present-day Mumbai) in 1967 but mostly representing Bihar.<ref name="bihargov">{{cite web |url=http://www.biharonline.gov.in/Site/Content/Government/Government.aspx?u=R6&ln=en |title=Shri George Fernandes General Information |access-date=3 September 2010 |publisher=[[Government of Bihar]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722111252/http://www.biharonline.gov.in/Site/%28S%28oabm5t45q1vrvv3w2vs2afv2%29%29/Content/Government/Government.aspx?u=R6&ln=en |archive-date=22 July 2011  }}</ref> He was a key member of the [[Janata Dal (United)|Janata Dal]] and the founder of the [[Samata Party]]. He held several ministerial portfolios including [[Ministry of Communications (India)|communication]] , [[Minister of Commerce and Industry (India)|industry]], [[Minister of Railways (India)|railways]], and [[Ministry of Defence (India)|defence]].<ref name="bbcgr">{{cite news |title=Fernandes: Popular but controversial minister |date=15 March 2001 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1223625.stm |work=BBC |access-date=3 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65tExQoD2?url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1223625.stm |archive-date=3 March 2012 }}</ref>

In 1977, after the Emergency had been lifted, Fernandes won the [[Muzaffarpur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Muzaffarpur]] seat in Bihar in absentia and was appointed 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 [[National Democratic Alliance (India)|National Democratic Alliance]] (NDA) Government (1998–2004), when the [[Kargil War]] broke out between India and Pakistan, and India conducted its [[Pokhran-II|nuclear tests at Pokhran]]. A veteran socialist, Fernandes has been dogged by various [[#Controversies|controversies]], including the [[Barak Missile scandal]] and the [[Operation West End|Tehelka affair]]. George Fernandes won nine Lok Sabha elections from 1967 to 2004.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/The-loneliness-of-George-Fernandes/article16620175.ece|title=The loneliness of George Fernandes|newspaper=The Hindu|date=21 April 2009|via=www.thehindu.com}}</ref> He died on 29 January 2019 at the age of 88.<ref name="TheHindu2019_jan" /> He was awarded the [[Padma Vibhushan]] India's second highest civilian award posthumously in 2020 in the field of Public Affairs.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/padma-awards-for-george-vashishtha-six-others-from-state/articleshow/73620093.cms | title=Padma awards for George, Vashishtha & six others from state | work=[[The Times of India]] | date=26 January 2020 | access-date=26 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/former-ministers-arun-jaitley-sushma-swaraj-and-george-fernandes-given-padma-vibhushan/articleshow/73617205.cms | title=Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, George Fernandes given Padma Vibhushan posthumously. Here's full list of Padma award recipients | newspaper=[[The Economic Times]] | date=26 January 2020 | access-date=26 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS |url=https://padmaawards.gov.in/PDFS/2020AwardeesList.pdf |website=padmaawards.gov.in |access-date=25 January 2020}}</ref>

He first contested Lok Sabha election in 1967 as a socialist, and defeated the Congress stalwart Sa Kaa Patil in Bombay in a famous upset, earning the sobriquet 'George the Giant-killer'. He contested from Muzaffarpur, Bihar in 1977 while still in jail as a Janata Party candidate, and won. He was made minister in the first non-Congress govt in India. In 1979, he resigned from Janata Party, joined Charan Singh's breakaway Janata Party (S), and won again from Muzaffarpur in 1980. In 1984 he fought from Bangalore on Janata Party's ticket but lost to Jaffar Sharif of Congress. He lost a bye-poll from Banka in 1985 and again in 1986. In 1989 and 1991, he shifted back to Bihar and won both times from Muzaffarpur as Janata Dal candidate. In 1994, he left Janata Dal after differences with Lalu Yadav and formed Samata Party which allied with BJP.  

After leaving the seminary, Fernandes moved to Bombay in 1949 in search of a job. His life was tough in Bombay, and he had to sleep on the streets, until he got a job as a proofreader for a newspaper.<ref name="iexp">{{cite news |title=George Fernandes |date=1 January 2001 |newspaper=[[Hindustan Times]] |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/George-Fernandes/Article1-11891.aspx |access-date=3 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65tFQy20w?url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/George-Fernandes/Article1-11891.aspx |archive-date=3 March 2012  }}</ref> He relates to the beginning of his career by saying, "When I came to Bombay, I used to sleep on the benches of Chowpatty Sands. In the middle of the night policemen used to come and wake me up and ask me to move on."<ref>{{cite book | title = Himmat, Volume 4 | publisher = R. M. Lala | year = 1974 | page = 6}}</ref> He came into contact with veteran union leader Placid D'Mello, and the socialist [[Rammanohar Lohia]], who were the greatest influences on his life.<ref name="iexp"/><ref name="rediff13oct">{{cite web |url=http://www.rediff.com/election/1999/oct/13profc.htm |title=The Vajpayee cabinet: All old timers minus one |access-date=3 September 2010 |date=13 October 1999 |publisher=[[Rediff]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65tFfUkZK?url=http://www.rediff.com/election/1999/oct/13profc.htm |archive-date=3 March 2012  }}</ref> Later, he joined the socialist trade union movement.<ref name="g85"/> He rose to prominence as a trade unionist and fought for the rights of labourers in small scale service industries such as hotels and restaurants. Emerging as a key figure in the Bombay labour movement in the early 1950s, Fernandes was a central figure in the unionisation of sections of Bombay labour in the 1950s.<ref name="jh">{{harvnb|Hutchison|Brown|Asia Research Centre|2001|p=[https://books.google.com.bh/books?id=b5Rv196QrowC&pg=PA158#v=onepage&q&f=true 158]}}</ref> As a labour organiser, he served many prison terms when his workforce engaged in fights with company goons.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/46444.cms?prtpage=1 |title=George Fernandes |access-date=8 August 2010 |date=27 June 2003 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |quote=In his salad days, he served many prison terms as a labour organiser when his workforce squabbled with hired company thugs. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608155401/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/46444.cms?prtpage=1 |archive-date=8 June 2011  }}</ref> He served as a member of the [[Bombay Municipal Corporation]] from 1961 to 1968. He won in the civic election in 1961 and, until 1968, continuously raised the problems of the exploited workers in the representative body of the metropolis.<ref name="sarma">{{harvnb|Śarmā|1978|p=130}}</ref>

The moment that thrust Fernandes into the limelight was his decision to contest the [[1967 Indian general election|1967 general election]]. He was offered a party ticket for the [[Mumbai South (Lok Sabha constituency)|Bombay South]] constituency by the [[Samyukta Socialist Party]] against the more popular [[S. K. Patil]] of the [[Indian National Congress]] in Bombay. Patil was a seasoned politician, with two decades of experience. Nevertheless, Fernandes won by garnering 48.5 per cent of the votes, thus earning his nickname, "George the Giantkiller". The shocking defeat ended Patil's political career.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rediff.com/election/2004/apr/02espec1.htm |title=When George Fernandes Humbled the 'king' |last=Pai |first=Rajeev D. |publisher=[[Rediff]] |date=2 April 2004 |access-date=7 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65tGBss5U?url=http://www.rediff.com/election/2004/apr/02espec1.htm |archive-date=3 March 2012  }}</ref>

The most notable strike organised by Fernandes, when he was President of the [[All India Railwaymen's Federation]], was the All India Railway strike of 1974, where the entire nation was brought to a halt. The strike was the result of grievances by railway workers that had been built up over two decades before the strike. Though there were three Pay commissions between 1947 and 1974, none of them increased the standard of living of the workers.<ref>{{citation | contribution = Railway Workers and Their Unions: Origins of 1974 Indian Railways Strike | title = Economic and Political Weekly (Vol. 24, No. 41) | editor-first = Stephen | editor-last = Sherlock | page = 2311 | date = 14 October 1989}}</ref> In February 1974, the National Coordinating Committee for Railwaymen's Struggle (NCCRS) was formed to bring all the railway unions, the central trade unions and political parties in the Opposition together to prepare for the strike to start on 8 May 1974.<ref name="Chronicle of a strike" /> In Bombay, electricity and transport workers, as well as taxi drivers joined the protests. In [[Gaya, India|Gaya]], Bihar, striking workers and their families squatted on the tracks.<ref name="Chronicle of a strike" /> More than 10,000 workers of the [[Integral Coach Factory]] in [[Madras]] marched to the Southern Railway headquarters to express their solidarity with the striking workers. Similar protests erupted across the country.<ref name="Chronicle of a strike">{{cite magazine |last=Shridhar |first=V. |date=15–28 September 2001 |title=Chronicle of a strike |url=http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1819/18190750.htm |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]] |volume=18 |issue=19 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65tGZCXhi?url=http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1819/18190750.htm |archive-date=3 March 2012 |access-date=9 August 2010 }}</ref>

The strike, which started on 8 May 1974, at the time of economic crisis, provoked strong government reactions and massive arrests.<ref name="et">{{cite news |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/Real-and-sham-bandhs/articleshow/6132515.cms |title=Real and sham bandhs |last=Doctor |first=Vikram |newspaper=[[The Economic Times]] |date=6 July 2010 |access-date=7 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65tGmeEMx?url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/Real-and-sham-bandhs/articleshow/6132515.cms |archive-date=3 March 2012 }}</ref> According to [[Amnesty International]], 30,000 trade unionists were detained, most held under preventive detention laws. Those arrested included not only members of the strike action committee and trade unionists, but also railwaymen who participated in the strike.<ref name="s74"/> The strike was called off unilaterally on 27 May 1974 by the Action Committee. As explained later by Fernandes, "the strike was called off because those conducting the strike had started speaking in different voices."<ref name="b">{{harvnb|Sharma|1982|p=163}}</ref> Although large number of prisoners were released, among them Fernandes, thousands remained in detention, charged with specific offences.<ref name="s74">{{harvnb|Desai|1986|p=194}}</ref> The strike led to a sense of insecurity and threat that led to [[Indira Gandhi]]'s imposition of the Emergency era in 1975. Previous strikes were aimed at companies or industries, but this strike was aimed at the government and from its ramifications proved to be the most successful of disastrous industrial actions in Indian history.<ref name="et"/>

A warrant was issued in Fernandes' name and subsequently he went underground to escape arrest and prosecution. When the police failed to capture him, they arrested and tortured his brother, [[Lawrence Fernandes]], to reveal his brother's whereabouts. [[Snehalata Reddy]], a chronic asthmatic was arrested for being in touch with George Fernandes and, as she was not given adequate care in the prison, died soon after her release.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/06/26/stories/2003062600230100.htm |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=8 August 2010 |title=Memories of another day |date=26 June 2003 |location=Chennai, India |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65tHMeA2y?url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/06/26/stories/2003062600230100.htm |archive-date=3 March 2012  }}</ref>

In July 1975, Fernandes arrived in [[Baroda]]. There, he met Kirit Bhatt, who was president of Baroda Union of Journalists, and Vikram Rao, a staff correspondent of ''[[The Times of India]]'' at Baroda, both who opposed the Emergency. They used to meet and discuss on what could be done to topple the autocratic Indira Gandhi Government. An industrialist friend, [[Viren J. Shah]], managing director of [[Mukand Ltd]]., helped them find contacts for procuring dynamite, used extensively in quarries around [[Halol]] (near Baroda). They aimed at blowing up toilets in government offices and cause explosions near the venue of public meetings to be addressed by Indira Gandhi. The idea was not to injure anybody, but only create a scare. The explosions were to be carried out either late in the night or hours before the public meeting was to begin to avoid injury. A plan was hatched to blow up a dais four hours before Indira Gandhi was to address a meeting in [[Varanasi]]. The conspiracy later came to be known as the infamous [[Baroda dynamite case]].<ref name="baroda">{{cite news |first=Milind |last=Ghatwai |title=Violent protest sans bloodshed against Indira Gandhi's emergency |date=26 June 2000 |newspaper=[[The Indian Express]] |url=http://www.expressindia.com/ie/daily/20000626/ina26016.html |access-date=5 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65tHaFzwU?url=http://www.expressindia.com/ie/daily/20000626/ina26016.html |archive-date=3 March 2012  }}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Herdeck|Piramal|1985|p=58}}</ref>

After the emergency was subsided in January 1977, so that elections could be held on 21 March 1977 in India. The Congress Party, led by Indira Gandhi, suffered a defeat at the hands of the [[Janata Party]], a coalition created in 1977 out of several small parties that opposed Gandhi's Emergency era.<ref>{{harvnb|Gort|Jansen|Vroom|2002|p=[https://books.google.com.bh/books?id=6xTC8ub8RN8C&pg=PA246#v=onepage&q&f=false 246]}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Joseph|Krieger|Kesselman|2009|p=[https://books.google.com.bh/books?id=x88s2oMsLkcC&pg=PA298#v=onepage&q&f=true 298]}}</ref>

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}}</ref> Fernandes won the [[Muzaffarpur]] seat in Bihar by an over 300,000 vote margin in 1977 from jail where he was lodged in the Baroda dynamite case,<ref name="ou">{{cite magazine |url=http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?657225 |title=George Fernandes Files Nomination as Independent |access-date=8 August 2010 |date=1 April 2009 |magazine=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65xZniBY8?url=http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?657225 |archive-date=6 March 2012  }}</ref> despite his not even visiting the constituency.<ref name="rediff13oct"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mintonsunday.livemint.com/news/george-fernandes-rebel-without-a-pause/2.3.3199867612.html|title=GEORGE FERNANDES: REBEL WITHOUT A PAUSE|date=20 June 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926163812/http://mintonsunday.livemint.com/news/george-fernandes-rebel-without-a-pause/2.3.3199867612.html|archive-date=26 September 2015}}</ref> He was also appointed the Union Minister for Industries.<ref>{{cite magazine

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In the [[7th Lok Sabha|seventh general elections]] held in 1980, the Janata (Secular) ministry failed to maintain a majority in the ''Lok Sabha'', and Congress once again became the ruling party.<ref name="charan"/> Fernandes retained his Parliamentary seat from Muzaffarpur in 1980, and sat in the opposition.<ref name="nan">{{cite news |title=Nalanda's despair is Muzaffarpur's delight |date=1 April 2004 |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040402/election.htm#3 |newspaper=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] |access-date=4 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65xxd17gf?url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040402/election.htm#3 |archive-date=6 March 2012  }}</ref> He contested for the ''[[8th Lok Sabha|Lok Sabha]]'' in 1984 from [[Bangalore North (Lok Sabha constituency)|Bangalore North]] constituency against future [[Ministry of Railways (India)|Railway minister]] and Congress candidate [[C. K. Jaffer Sheriff]], but lost the election by a margin of 40,000 votes.<ref>{{cite book | title = George Fernandes death: Former Defence Minister: Latest News  | year = 1984 | publisher = [[Socialist Party (India)]] | page = 144 | quote = The outstanding win for the Congress (I) came in the Bangalore North constituency where the Union minister, Jaffer Sharief, defeated the Janata Party general secretary, George Fernandes, by a margin of 40,000 votes.}}</ref> He then decided to shift his base to Bihar in 1989, when an anti-Congress wave was sweeping the country in the wake of the [[Bofors scandal]],<ref name="ou"/> and won Muzaffarpur in the [[9th Lok Sabha|1989]] and [[10th Lok Sabha|1991]] general elections,<ref name="nan"/> He later joined the [[Janata Dal]], a party which was formed from the Janata Party at [[Bangalore]] in August 1988.<ref>{{harvnb|Fernandes|Mathew|1991|p=317}}</ref> His second tenure as Minister of Railways in the [[V. P. Singh]]'s government from 1989 to 1990, though short-lived, was quite eventful.<ref name="bihargov"/> He was one of the driving forces behind the [[Konkan Railway]] project, the first major development in the [[history of rail transport in India]] since independence.<ref>{{harvnb|Ranade|2009|p=[https://books.google.com.bh/books?id=cGSKjaym3TcC&pg=PR5#v=onepage&q&f=false 5]}}</ref>

Fernandes broke away from the erstwhile Janata Dal and formed the [[Samata Party]] in 1994,<ref name="sam">{{cite news |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/oldStory/86843/ |title=Janata Dal: ...Make, break, make break... |access-date=1 September 2010 |last=Kaushal |first=Pradeep |date=29 January 2006 |newspaper=[[The Indian Express]] |quote=In 1994, Fernandes and Nitish Kumar broke away, floated the Samata Party. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65xzSOl9i?url=http://www.indianexpress.com/oldStory/86843/ |archive-date=6 March 2012 }}</ref> which became a key ally of the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP), a party which is the current form of the erstwhile [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]].<ref>{{cite book | first = A.H | last = Advani | title = Business India, Issues 674–679 | year = 2004 | page=40 | quote=The bjp's key ally, Samata Party, is in a total disarray in Bihar as of now.}}</ref> BJP formed a short-lived government in the [[1996 Indian general election|1996 general elections]] along with the Samata Party and other allies. The government survived only for 13 days, since the BJP could not gather enough support from other parties to form a majority.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2108/stories/20040423008300400.htm |title=The New Power Centres |access-date=10 September 2010 |last=Hasan |first=Zoya |magazine=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]] |volume=21 |issue=8 |date=10–23 April 2004 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65xzebdfe?url=http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2108/stories/20040423008300400.htm |archive-date=6 March 2012 }}</ref><ref name="Vajapayee">{{cite news|title=Hindu Nationalist Cabinet Quits in India as Defeat Looms |last=Burns |first=John F. |author-link=John F. Burns |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=29 May 1996 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/29/world/hindu-nationalist-cabinet-quits-in-india-as-defeat-looms.html?pagewanted=all |access-date=7 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511210542/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/29/world/hindu-nationalist-cabinet-quits-in-india-as-defeat-looms.html?pagewanted=all |archive-date=11 May 2011  }}</ref> Fernandes later served in the opposition along with BJP during the two [[United Front (India)|United Front]] governments (1996–1998) led by [[Janata Dal]] ministers [[H. D. Deve Gowda]] and [[Inder Kumar Gujral]].<ref name = "Vajapayee"/> After the collapse of the United Front ministry led by Gujral, BJP and its allies won a slender majority in the [[1998 Indian general election|1998 general elections]]. The government lasted only for 13 months, due to the non-co-operation of [[All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]] (AIADMK) leader [[J. Jayalalithaa|Jayalalitha]].<ref>{{harvnb|Rana|2000|p=50}}</ref>

After the collapse of the second BJP-led coalition government, BJP and its allies formed a 24 party alliance called [[National Democratic Alliance (India)|National Democratic Alliance]] (NDA), which became the first non-Congress coalition government in post-independence India to survive a full five-year term (1999–2004).<ref>{{harvnb|Hardgrave|Kochanek|2007|p=262}}</ref> Later, Fernandes became the convenor of NDA.<ref>{{cite news |first=Shekhar |last=Iyer |title=Sharad takes over from 'ill' George as NDA convenor |date=15 December 2008 |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Sharad-takes-over-from-ill-George-as-NDA-convenor/Article1-358088.aspx |newspaper=[[Hindustan Times]] |access-date=10 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65xz61CDS?url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Sharad-takes-over-from-ill-George-as-NDA-convenor/Article1-358088.aspx |archive-date=6 March 2012  }}</ref> On 27 July 1999, the Janata Dal again split into two factions, the [[Janata Dal (United)]] and the [[Janata Dal (Secular)]].<ref>{{harvnb|Rana|2000|p=63}}, "On 27 July 1999 the JD again split into two factions&nbsp;– JD (United) headed by Sharad Yadav and JD (Secular) headed by Deve Gowda. Its earlier two factions the Samata and the Lok Shakti agreed to unite under one umbrella JD(U)."</ref> In 2003, Fernandes reunited with the Janata Dal (United), and also merged his [[Samata Party]] with it.<ref name="sam"/><ref>{{cite news |first=Gargi |last=Parsai |title=Fernandes to head Janata Dal (United) |date=31 October 2003 |url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2003/10/31/stories/2003103104371100.htm |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=5 September 2010 |location=Chennai, India |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65xylZw3k?url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2003/10/31/stories/2003103104371100.htm |archive-date=6 March 2012  }}</ref>

Fernandes served as the [[Defence Minister of India]] in both the second and third [[National Democratic Alliance (India)|National Democratic Alliance]] governments (1998–2004). During his tenure as the defence minister, the [[Kargil war]] over [[Kashmir]] broke out between India and Pakistan in 1999. The war began when heavily armed Pakistan-backed intruders dug themselves in at heights of {{Convert|16000|ft|m}}&nbsp;– {{Convert|18000|ft|m}} on the Indian side of the [[Line of Control]] (LOC) along an {{convert|80|km|mi}} stretch north of [[Kargil district|Kargil]]. They began attacking the [[National Highway 1D (India)|strategic highway]] linking [[Srinagar]] and [[Leh]]. As a result, the [[Indian army]] undertook the [[Operation Vijay (1999)|Operation Vijay]] to push back the Pakistani intruders and regain the occupied territories.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Joshi |first1=Manoj |last2=Baweja |first2=Harinder |url=http://www.india-today.com/itoday/07061999/cover.html |title=Kargil War (Blasting Peace) |access-date=11 September 2010 |magazine=[[India Today]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65xyd3AN4?url=http://www.india-today.com/itoday/07061999/cover.html |archive-date=6 March 2012 }}</ref> The inability of the [[Intelligence Bureau (India)|Indian intelligence]] and military agencies to detect the infiltration early received criticism, both by the opposition as well as the media. However, Fernandes refused to acknowledge the [[intelligence failure|failure]] of intelligence agencies in detecting infiltration along Kargil sector.<ref>{{cite news |title=Fernandes again denies intelligence failure |date=18 July 1999 |publisher=[[Rediff]] |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/1999/jul/18fern.htm |access-date=11 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65xyTVdRU?url=http://www.rediff.com/news/1999/jul/18fern.htm |archive-date=6 March 2012  }}</ref>

In May 1998, India conducted five nuclear tests at the [[Pokhran|Pokharan]] range in [[Rajasthan]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Anita |last=Pratap |title=India releases pictures of nuclear tests |date=17 May 1998 |publisher=CNN |url=http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/asiapcf/9805/17/india.nuke.tests/ |access-date=12 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65xyLix1Y?url=http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/asiapcf/9805/17/india.nuke.tests/ |archive-date=6 March 2012  }}</ref> Earlier a staunch supporter of [[nuclear disarmament]], Fernandes openly endorsed the NDA government's decision to test the nuclear bombs.<ref>{{harvnb|Frank|2002|p=528}} "Twenty years later, in 1998, Fernandes—a long-time campaigner for nuclear disarmament—warmly defended India's nuclear testing initiative while serving as Minister of Defence in the BJP Government headed by A. B. Vajpayee."</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Fernandes|Mathew|1991|p=363}}, "The nations of the world, both nuclear and non-nuclear, must be told in no uncertain terms that India stands for total nuclear disarmament, and the only way to prevent proliferation of nuclear weapons is to ban them once and for all."</ref> He was also involved in skirmishes with the then [[Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy]], [[Vishnu Bhagwat]], over promotion of Vice-Admiral Harinder Singh as Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff. Bhagwat was subsequently sacked over the issue.<ref>{{cite news |title=Navy chief Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat sacked; wife blames 'communal politics' |date=30 December 1998 |publisher=[[Rediff]] |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/1998/dec/30navy.htm |access-date=12 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65xy9atVe?url=http://www.rediff.com/news/1998/dec/30navy.htm |archive-date=6 March 2012  }}</ref> After the [[Tehelka#Operation West End|Tehelka defence scandal]] broke out in March 2001, Fernandes quit as defence minister, but was reappointed to the post later.<ref>{{cite magazine

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}}</ref> Fernandes is the only defence minister of a nuclear power who had a picture of [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|Hiroshima bombing]] in his office. He made 18 visits to the icy heights of the {{convert|6600|m|mi}} [[Siachen]] glacier in Kashmir, which holds the record of being "the world's highest battlefield".<ref name="bbcgr"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Unusual-places-netas-love-to-visit/articleshow/29621674.cms|title=Unusual places netas love to visit – Times of India|website=The Times of India}}</ref><ref name="main">{{cite magazine |first=Tim |last=McGirk |author2=Rahman, Maseeh |title=Who Would Have Guessed? |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |url=http://www.time.com/time/asia/asia/magazine/1998/981130/fernandes1.html |access-date=3 September 2010 |date=30 November 1998 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65xxqs1pK?url=http://www.time.com/time/asia/asia/magazine/1998/981130/fernandes1.html |archive-date=6 March 2012 }}</ref> He was known for overseeing a huge increase in India's defence budget as compared to the allocations made by previous governments.<ref name="bbcgr"/>

The NDA Government lost power to the Congress-led [[United Progressive Alliance]] (UPA) in the [[2004 Indian general election|2004 general elections]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Arvind |last=Lavakare |title=Why the NDA lost |date=9 June 2004 |publisher=[[Rediff]] |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/jun/08arvind.htm |access-date=11 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65xwVySOq?url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/jun/08arvind.htm |archive-date=6 March 2012 }}</ref> Later, political observers alleged that Fernandes was locked in a bitter party rivalry with his one-time friend, Samata Party co-founder, [[Nitish Kumar]].<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Amarnath |last=Tewary |title=George, Derailed |date=20 January 2003 |url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?218639 |magazine=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]] |access-date=11 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101027075330/http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?218639 |archive-date=27 October 2010  }}</ref> In the [[2009 Indian general election|2009 general elections]], he contested from Muzaffarpur as an independent candidate after being denied a ticket by the Janata Dal (United) on health grounds,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=George Fernandes Files Nomination as Independent |date=1 April 2009 |magazine=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]] |url=http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=657225 |access-date=11 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331213629/http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=657225 |archive-date=31 March 2012  }}</ref> but he lost the election.<ref>{{cite news |first=Priti Nath |last=Jha |title=George Fernandes loses security deposit |date=17 May 2009 |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-05-17/patna/28187807_1_security-deposit-george-fernandes-muzaffarpur-lok-sabha-seat |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=11 September 2010 |quote=George Fernandes, who contested the Muzaffarpur Lok Sabha seat as an Independent candidate, lost the election as well as his security deposit marking an end to his 32-year-long political association with Muzaffarpur. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65xuZ8FV5?url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-05-17/patna/28187807_1_security-deposit-george-fernandes-muzaffarpur-lok-sabha-seat |archive-date=6 March 2012  }}</ref> On 30 July 2009, Fernandes filed his nomination as an independent candidate for the mid-term poll being held for the Rajya Sabha seat vacated by Janata Dal (United) president [[Sharad Yadav]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Anand Mohan |last=Sahay |title=Fernandes files nomination for RS by poll as JD-U candidate |date=30 July 2009 |publisher=[[Rediff]] |url=http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/jul/30/fernandes-files-nomination-for-rs-by-poll.htm |access-date=11 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090802094756/http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/jul/30/fernandes-files-nomination-for-rs-by-poll.htm |archive-date=2 August 2009  }}</ref> The Janata Dal (United) did not field any candidate against him, which led to his being elected unopposed. He was sworn in on 4 August 2009.<ref>{{cite news |first=Vandita |last=Mishra |title=Leila and George |date=9 August 2009 |newspaper=[[The Indian Express]] |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/leila-and-george/499723/ |access-date=11 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130320032328/http://www.indianexpress.com/news/leila-and-george/499723 |archive-date=20 March 2013  }}</ref>

Fernandes supported and endorsed many secessionist movements and groups. He was a long time supporter of the [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] (LTTE), an organisation which sought to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka.<ref name="LTTEflirtation" /> Before 1997, he organised a controversial public convention of pro-LTTE delegates in New Delhi.<ref name="LTTEflirtation" /> In July 1998, he reportedly prevented the [[Indian Navy]] from intercepting ships that were suspected of carrying illegal weapons to Tamil guerrilla groups.<ref name="LTTEflirtation" /> Fernandes was also a patron of the Fund Raising Committee backed by the LTTE, with an objective to help the 26 accused in the [[Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi|Rajiv Gandhi assassination case]].<ref name="LTTEflirtation" /> The [[Sri Lankan government]] stated that, "the LTTE's biggest supporter in India is Defence Minister George Fernandes."<ref name="LTTEflirtation">{{Cite news |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/dec/07spec.htm |title=Fernandes's flirtation with the LTTE is ominous for Sri Lanka |date=7 December 2000 |access-date=13 September 2010 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65xuBuZAX?url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/dec/07spec.htm |archive-date=6 March 2012 |url-status=dead |publisher=[[Rediff]] }}</ref> He also expressed support for Tibetan refugees fighting for freedom against China, and Burmese pro-democratic rebel groups fighting against the military government in [[Myanmar]].<ref name="rediffMandalay">{{cite news |title=The rocky road to Mandalay |url=https://www.rediff.com/news/2001/feb/19burma.htm |access-date=29 January 2019 |publisher=Rediff news |date=19 February 2001}}</ref><!-- UNSOURCED SECTION  

On 10 October 2006, the [[Central Bureau of Investigation]] (CBI) registered a [[First information report]] (FIR) against Fernandes, his associate Jaya Jaitly, and former navy chief [[Admiral Sushil Kumar]] for alleged irregularities in purchasing the {{INRConvert|7|b}} [[Barak 1]] system from Israel in 2000.<ref name="CBI"/> Fernandes, however, said that the scientific adviser to the Defence Minister in [[National Democratic Alliance (India)|National Democratic Alliance]] (NDA) Government (1998–2004), who later became the [[President of India]], [[A. P. J. Abdul Kalam]], had cleared the missile deal.<ref name="CBI">{{cite news |title=CBI names George Fernandes in arms scandal |date=10 October 2006 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2006-10-10/india/27794167_1_barak-deal-missile-system-admiral-sushil-kumar |access-date=7 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65tConA9n?url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2006-10-10/india/27794167_1_barak-deal-missile-system-admiral-sushil-kumar |archive-date=3 March 2012  }}</ref>

Following the Pokhran nuclear tests in 1998, he openly branded China as "India's enemy number one".<ref name="conbbc">{{cite news |first=Vijay |last=Rana |title=China and India's mutual distrust |date=21 April 2003 |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2964195.stm |work=BBC News |access-date=11 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65tAcZLxx?url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2964195.stm |archive-date=3 March 2012  }}</ref> He later expressed regret for his statements, saying it was wrongly interpreted by the media.<ref name="bbcgr"/><ref name="main"/> He has also criticised China for providing sophisticated weapons to Pakistan to build its missiles, and has rapped the Chinese for strengthening their military across the [[Himalayas]] in Tibet.<ref name="main"/>

Fernandes has claimed that he was [[strip search]]ed twice at [[Dulles Airport]] in the US Capital area, when he was defence minister—once on an official visit to [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]] in early 2002 and another time while en route to Brazil in mid-2003. The details of the strip-search were mentioned in American foreign policy analyst [[Strobe Talbott]]'s book ''Engaging India&nbsp;– Diplomacy, Democracy and the Bomb''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Fernandes strip-searched twice during visit to US: Talbott |date=10 July 2004 |publisher=[[Rediff]] |url=http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/jul/10strobe1.htm |access-date=12 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65tB7yGSk?url=http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/jul/10strobe1.htm |archive-date=3 March 2012  }}</ref> However, the [[US embassy]] in [[Delhi]] issued a formal denial that Fernandes had been strip-searched,<ref>{{cite news |title=US apologises over body search |date=14 July 2004 |work=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3892657.stm |access-date=12 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65tBPBq19?url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3892657.stm |archive-date=3 March 2012 }}</ref> and said that, "Fernandes was not strip-searched but a [[security wand]] was waved over him when a key in his pocket set off the metal detector."<ref name="defr"/> Subsequently, the then [[United States Deputy Secretary of State]], [[Richard Armitage (politician)|Richard Armitage]], personally apologised to Fernandes over the matter.<ref name="defr">{{cite news |title=Strip-search incident: Armitage apologises |date=14 July 2004 |publisher=[[Rediff]] |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/jul/14strip.htm |access-date=12 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65tBZ1Rm0?url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/jul/14strip.htm |archive-date=3 March 2012  }}</ref> This was one in a series of incidents involving the [[detention and search of Indian VIPs at US airports]] that marred Indian–US relations post 9/11.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/airport-detention-srk-in-company-of-kalam-and-fernandes/article3310624.ece|title=Airport detention: SRK in company of Kalam and Fernandes|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=13 April 2012|access-date=12 March 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219111302/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/airport-detention-srk-in-company-of-kalam-and-fernandes/article3310624.ece|archive-date=19 December 2013}}</ref>

He was accused in the 2002 coffin scam, following allegations that 500 poor quality aluminium 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.<ref>{{cite news |title=CBI files chargesheet in Kargil coffin scam |date=22 August 2009 |publisher=[[The Times of India]] |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-08-22/india/28157558_1_cbi-files-chargesheet-kargil-war-coffin-scam |work=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=12 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65tCIyOJ8?url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-08-22/india/28157558_1_cbi-files-chargesheet-kargil-war-coffin-scam |archive-date=3 March 2012  }}</ref> However, the CBI gave a clean sheet to Fernandes in the scam in its 2009 charge sheet.<ref>{{cite news |first=Sumon |last=Chakrabarti |title=Fernandes gets clean chit in Kargil coffin scam |date=22 August 2009 |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/fernandes-gets-clean-chit-in-kargil-coffin-scam/99725-3.html |work=[[CNN-IBN]] |access-date=12 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65tCUpdIM?url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/fernandes-gets-clean-chit-in-kargil-coffin-scam/99725-3.html |archive-date=3 March 2012  }}</ref> Critics have charged the Congress Party for hounding George Fernandes for speaking out against Sonia Gandhi and the Nehru dynasty as looters.{{cn|date=April 2020}}

Fernandes met Leila Kabir, the daughter of former Union minister [[Humayun Kabir]], on a flight back to [[Delhi]] from [[Calcutta]]. Fernandes, then the general secretary of the [[Samyukta Socialist Party]], was returning from Bangladesh while Kabir was on her way back from the battlefront where she had gone as an assistant director of the [[Red Cross]]. They began dating and were married on 22 July 1971.<ref name="vss">{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100131/jsp/7days/story_12048564.jsp |title=I came back to give my son a father but the father never showed up |newspaper=[[The Telegraph (Kolkata)|The Telegraph (Calcutta)]] |date=31 January 2010 |access-date=7 August 2010 |location=Calcutta, India |first1=Leila |last1=Kabir |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65rxz0xOC?url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100131/jsp/7days/story_12048564.jsp |archive-date=2 March 2012  }}</ref> They had a son, Sean Fernandes, who is an investment banker based in New York.<ref name="iss">{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100604/jsp/frontpage/story_12528019.jsp |title=Catfight on birthday&nbsp;– Ladies clash over George |newspaper=[[The Telegraph (Kolkata)|The Telegraph (Calcutta)]] |date=4 June 2010 |access-date=7 August 2010 |location=Calcutta, India |first=Archis |last=Mohan |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65ryG83VX?url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100604/jsp/frontpage/story_12528019.jsp |archive-date=2 March 2012  }}</ref> Fernandes and Kabir separated in the mid-1980s.<ref name="iss"/> Jaya Jaitly was Fernandes' companion from 1984.<ref name="iss"/>

Fernandes spoke ten languages—Konkani, English, Hindi, [[Tulu language|Tulu]], [[Kannada]], [[Marathi language|Marathi]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], Urdu, [[Malayalam]], and Latin. Konkani was his mother tongue. He learnt Marathi and Urdu in jail, and Latin while he was in the seminary in his early youth. He was fluent in Hindi and English.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2004/08/15/george-fernandes-socialist-who-speaks-many-tongues |title=George Fernandes, Socialist Who Speaks Many Tongues |newspaper=[[Asian Tribune]] |date=15 August 2004 |access-date=7 August 2010 |first=R. C. |last=Rajamani |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65tAO3Ji9?url=http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2004/08/15/george-fernandes-socialist-who-speaks-many-tongues |archive-date=3 March 2012  }}</ref>

Fernandes was reported to be suffering from [[Alzheimer's disease|Alzheimer]]'s and [[Parkinson's disease|Parkinson]]'s diseases, and in January 2010 was undergoing treatment at [[Swami Ramdev|Baba Ramdev]]'s [[ashram]] at [[Haridwar]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/george-fernandes-being-treated-by-swami-ramdev_597164.html |title=George Fernandes being treated by Swami Ramdev |date=19 January 2010 |access-date=19 January 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729211500/http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/george-fernandes-being-treated-by-swami-ramdev_597164.html |archive-date=29 July 2013  }}</ref> for the diseases at the request of Leila Kabir, who had recently returned to his life.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_george-fernandes-being-treated-for-alzheimer-s-by-yoga-guru-ramdev_1336547 |title=George Fernandes being treated for Alzheimer's by Yoga Guru Ramdev |newspaper=[[DNA (newspaper)|DNA]] |access-date=19 January 2010 |date=19 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65s082WZl?url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_george-fernandes-being-treated-for-alzheimer-s-by-yoga-guru-ramdev_1336547 |archive-date=2 March 2012  }}</ref> In February 2010, Fernandes' brothers were reported to have been considering a court order for medical treatment and visitation; Kabir and Sean Fernandes are alleged to have forcibly removed Fernandes to an undisclosed location.<ref>{{cite news |first=D. P. |last=Satish |title=Ex-defence minister George Fernandes goes missing |date=20 February 2010 |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/exdefence-minister-george-fernandes-goes-missing/110422-3.html?from=tn |work=[[CNN-IBN]] |access-date=7 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100330210033/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/exdefence-minister-george-fernandes-goes-missing/110422-3.html?from=tn |archive-date=30 March 2010  }}</ref> In July 2010, the Delhi High Court ruled that Fernandes would stay with Kabir and that Fernandes' brothers would be able to visit.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2010-07-06/news/27570469_1_brothers-court-premises-delhi-high-court |work=[[The Economic Times]] |title=George to stay with wife: Court |date=6 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65rXswMRV?url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2010-07-06/news/27570469_1_brothers-court-premises-delhi-high-court |archive-date=2 March 2012  }}</ref>