George Fernandes

George Fernandes (born 1930) is an Indian politician. He was born in what is now the state of Karnataka, but his power base is now mainly Bihar. He came to prominence in the 1970s, first as a railway union leader during the paralysing railway strike of 1974, and afterwards as an opponent of Indira Gandhi's imposition of Emergency, which caused his imprisonment. In the Janata Party government that came into power in 1977, he became industries minister and forced several multinational corporations out of the country, notably Coca Cola and IBM. He is blamed by many for the fall of the Morarji Desai government by switching sides at the last moment to Charan Singh, on the advice of his political mentor, the socialist Ram Manohar Lohia.

His Samata Party became a member of the BJP-led coalition government in 1998, making him Defence Minister. He presided over India's first nuclear tests in 24 years shortly afterwards. He resigned in February 2001 after accusations of corruption in the Defense Ministry, brought by the independent newspaper Tehelka, but was reinstated a few months later, despite video evidence of a fellow party colleague accepting bribes. In 2003, his Samata Party merged with the Janata Dal (United), taking the latter's name, and becoming the head of the combined party. He remained defence minister until the party's election defeat in May 2004. Fernandes is part of India's Christian minority, but he is a self-proclaimed atheist and does not believe in practiced religion.

He was one of the best defence minsters India ever had after Mr. Arun Singh in the Rajiv Gandhi cabinet. After appointment as Defence Minister in March 1998, Fernandes won the soldiers' respect for his honesty, administrative savviness and frugality--he himself used just one room in his official residence for working, eating and sleeping.

When Fernandes toured army operations, he shuned military pomp. He hitched rides with soldiers on army trucks and made a point of eating the same things the rank-and-file are consuming. Even around his generals, he wears sandals and kurta pajamas that he washes himself, by hand, something he learnt while training to become a Christian Priest as a child.He was the first defence minister to travel to the Siachen Glacier during the height of winter.Fernandes is particularly popular among soldiers on the Siachen front. He has made 18 visits(a record in itself by any Indian Government official) to the icy heights of the 6,600m Siachen glacier, The world's highest battlefield where Indian and Pakistani troops guard their respective stretches of the glacier throughout the year. When two bureaucrats were sluggish in sending snowmobiles to the battlezone at Siachen, he helicoptered the officials to the area so they would experience the icy misery themselves.

Fernandes is the President of the Hind Mazdoor Kisan Panchayat.