In October, even before the Venkatswami Commission finished its inquiry into the Tehelka revelations, George Fernandes made a quiet return to head the Defence Ministry. Now he is preparing to face the music, with the Opposition ready to move a censure motion against him in the Lok Sabha on December 18.

During the debate, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will undoubtedly explain why the reinduction of Fernandes couldn't await the final inquiry report. Fernandes had publicly stated at the time of his resignation that he would wait for the commission to give him a clean chit. But the Government hadn't reckoned that a commission scheduled to finish its job in four months would go on and on. However, a chance to attack the NDA Government on the morality front means the Opposition will be seen to be acting in concert.

COMMON GROUND: Fernandes' re-entry has brought the Opposition together

Fernandes heard the first warning on the opening day of the winter session of Parliament when the Opposition greeted him with shouts of "shame, shame". The defence minister's embarrassment was accentuated three days later when two Lok Sabha members, Prabodh Panda of the CPI and G. Puttaswamy Gowda of the Congress, refused to put questions to him since "he was illegally occupying the ministerial chair". The scene was repeated on November 28 and 29 when Congress MPs K.K. Birla and S. Makwana refused to put questions to Fernandes. Makwana said the minister had "talked all his life on morality but was immorally holding the cabinet berth". As strategies go, this approach was novel but quite effective.

On November 29, the entire Opposition walked out of the Lok Sabha, leaving Fernandes to read out the Government's explanation on the alleged air space violation by a US helicopter over Chennai only to the Treasury benches. Lok Sabha Speaker G.M.C. Balayogi was shocked. "This is unprecedented. Nobody has ever questioned the continuance of a minister in this manner," he said.

The BJP maintains the Opposition is playing spoilsport. "It's the prime minister's prerogative to include any person of his choice in his cabinet. How can the Opposition question Fernandes' induction?" asks chief whip Vijay Kumar Malhotra. CPI (M) leader Somnath Chatterjee counters: "The induction of Fernandes is an encroachment into the areas of the judiciary and investigations. It amounts to pressurising the commission for a favourable verdict on Fernandes."

Yet, the Opposition too didn't drive home the point too hard. Aware it was treading on dangerous ground by questioning the prime minister's prerogative-tomorrow someone could censure the appointment of Sonia Gandhi as leader of the Opposition-it diluted the wording, leaving out all direct references to Fernandes' reinduction. "We can rephrase the motion to one on the Government's shoddy handling of the Tehelka issue. That doesn't stop us from speaking on George's morality," says Congress chief whip Priya Ranjan Das Munshi.

Though the NDA's clear majority in the Lok Sabha means the motion will be definitely be rejected, the debate will give an opportunity to the Opposition to taunt Vajpayee and Fernandes on an ethical point. Maybe that's when Fernandes will hit back with customary rhetorical flourish.

-Sharad Gupta