New Delhi: Tehelka, which created a storm by investigating corruption in Defence deals three years ago, today (Jan 29, 2004) launched a weekly newspaper at a function here in which former Union Minister Ram Jethmalani criticised Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for the "treatment" meted out to the Website's managing editor Tarun Tejpal for the sting operation.

"Instead of honouring Tarun, the Government acted in a manner which would put anyone to shame," Jethmalani said.

He said the Government and the commissions of inquiry set up to probe the issue came out with a story "which would insult any school boy".

"It is hard to believe that the investors in the Tehelka Website put in money thinking that the Website would investigate the Defence deals which would create a furore," he said.

Terming the commission's probe into the expose as a "pack of lies", Jethmalani said, "The probe contained more lies than there were in Hitler's Mein Kampf."

Singling out Vajpayee, he said, "We have a Prime Minister who virtually acted like Dhritarashtra of the Mahabharata."

"What I saw in Atalji was the Dhritarashtra of the 21st century. So blinded was he that he gave his Kaurava progeny a free hand against Tarun."

Tejpal said the paper will not speak for any political party or a publication house and will be a free, fair and fearless weekly.