Gunning for Fernandes is former Prime Minister, H D Deve Gowda. In his 4-page letter written to the Defence Minister on March 1, former Prime Minister said he was completely dissatisfied with the replies given to him by a team of Defence Ministry officials on the deal.

Blasting the Defence Minister for trying to push through the purchase of 300 T-90 model tanks, Deve Gowda asked why the same army officer (Lt Gen S S Mehta, deputy Chief of the Army Staff) had been made head of the purchase committee who had visited Moscow for technical evaluation of the tank.

Even while thanking George in his letter, a copy of which is available with The Indian Express, for sending a team of Defence Ministry officials, he raised a number of questionspertaining to the deal. The officials -- P M Nair, additional secretary (defence) Lt Gen S S Mehta, deputy chief of the Army Staff and Major Neel Martin of Army headquarters -- had briefed Deve Gowda about the status of the tank purchase after he wrote a letter to the Prime Minister last year.

Deve Gowda wondered in his letter that "in the last 50 years, the chairman of the purchase committee was (always) a civilian and why all of a sudden this change (inducting a military man)".

Though P M Nair, an additional secretary in the Defence Ministry explained to Deve Gowda that the decision to appoint Lt Gen Mehta to head the purchase committee also for the T-90 tank deal was taken by consensus, Gowda demanded to know why the practice was abandoned in the first place in this case.

Another intriguing aspect, Deve Gowda noted, was that T-90 had not been used in the battle-field. The Indian delegation was shown tanks in Moscow for ceremonial purposes. The team also informed him that "tank's selection was basedon the study of technical data and drawings made available to them in the factory premises (Moscow)."

Gowda also wondered that if T-90 with 1000 HP engine and missile was an improved version of T-72S why can't the T-72S itself be improvised. Since T-72S had already been in operation and is available at half the price (Rs 5 crores) "why can't we procure the same from Russia ?" he asked.

He said, "If the test is going to fail even after the conditional contract, then, in what way it is going to serve the purpose of strengthening the Defence requirement so far as tanks are concerned".

Gowda wanted that simultaneous tests should be conducted for T-90 and T-72S (upgraded) to come to a conclusion. Gowda also wondered why the advice of the Military Adviser was not taken in this matter.

He made it clear that the ministry officials failed to convince him about the desirability to pick up the untried T-90 tank and abandon the time tested T-72S variety of tanks and upgrade the same.

When contacted Gowdaconfirmed having sent the letter to Fernandes and added that no reply had been received from the Defence Minister. However, he prefereed not to level any allegation against anybody at this stage.

Sources close to Fernandes said that a reply would soon be sent. It is also pointed out that at one stage even Deve Gowda had favoured the purchase of T-90 Russian Tank. But for some strange reasons, he had now been pleading for upgrading of T-72S which would benefit the polish companies.