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Onkar Singh in New Delhi
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Friday announced an inquiry by a sitting or a retired Supreme Court judge into the tehelka.com arms deal expose.
In his address to the nation telecast over Doordarshan, the prime minister made it clear that he would get to the bottom of the scandal and punish those found guilty. "I have decided to get to the bottom of the whole thing and clean up the system," he said.
He expressed the hope that at the end of the inquiry the country would emerge stronger than ever. "We are in touch with the chief justice of India to name the judge who would head the inquiry. We expect the commission to submit its report in four months," he said.
The prime minister praised former defence minister George Fernandes, who resigned following allegations of corruption against his ministry. He assured the nation that the morale of the armed forces would not be allowed fall.
"We would not allow anyone to compromise the security of the nation at any cost," he said.
The prime minister expressed distress and anguish at the manner in which the arms dealers have free access to top officials in the armed forces. "We are determined to cleanse the system," he said.
He held the opposition parties responsible for stalling the proceedings of Parliament. From day one the government of India, he said, was willing to hold discussions in Parliament on the disclosures made in the Tehelka tapes.
"Two political leaders against whom allegations have been made have tendered their resignations," he pointed out. "I would not allow the defence forces to be used as shuttle cock to make allegations and counter allegations," he warned.
The prime minister said his government moved fast and suspended four top officials against whom allegations of corruption had been made. "Let us rise above the day-to-day politics and use this opportunity to make the country stronger," he said.
The Prime Minister's Speech in Real Audio
The Text of the Prime Minister's Speech
ALSO SEE: Probe Will Also Look at Why Allegations were Made
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