New Delhi: Stung by the campaign launched against him by Congress and some other Opposition parties on the "coffin scam" issue, Defence Minister George Fernandes on September 3, said he is in the process of moving court soon to sue the Leader of Opposition Sonia Gandhi to end her "politics of lies".

"I have the responsibility to see sedition is not allowed to go scot-free. Even there I will be fulfilling my duty," Fernandes told reporters observing that he has already held legal consultation with the Attorney General and Solicitor General.

Asked whether he would file a suit as a private person or as Minister of Defence, he said, "this has to be decided".

Maintaining that the caskets were not "coffins or kafans" as the Leader of the Opposition has been describing them, Fernandes said his Ministry through media and other means had brought out that these were re-usable caskets meant to transfer bodies of slain soldiers to their homes and had a life anywhere between 30 and 40 years.

"This has repeatedly been put across. The lies still go on and I have no other option but going to the court of law," the Minister said.

Fernandes said, "The whole world knows what the truth is. The Defence Minister was not involved in placing the order for the caskets with the US firm. Transaction did not need to come to me and it was cleared at the Army and Ministry levels."

Terming as "colossal lies" that there had been any major financial outgo, he said the total money involved till now was Rs 1.71 crore out of which Rs 80 lakh had been recovered.

"We still have 150 caskets in the godown of the Army," he said adding Congress and the Marxists were continuing with the "lie" which was meant only to hurt me as Defence Minister.

Fernandes said the Opposition was carrying out a tirade that Army at the higher level had done the transaction which could make the "gullible" think that Army officers have made money.

"Our jawans are not just brave, they are also very sensitive. The message being sent by the Congress leaders is that they (officers) have been drinking the blood of jawans and making money," he said.

Asked if he would be moving court against Gandhi on the charge of sedition, the Minister said as regards the nature of charge it "has to be decided by the lawyers".

PTI