New Delhi, May 31: A day after George Fernandes sought to stir a controversy involving Sonia Gandhi, the Congress today resumed its offensive against the former defence minister — this time from a position of power.

The party rubbished the NDA convener’s weekend assertion that senior officials from the defence ministry, which he bossed over till recently, were lining up before the Congress chief at her 10 Janpath home for plum postings in the new United Progressive Alliance government.

“It does not behove the former defence minister to come out with unwarranted, untrue and unfortunate statement based on unsubstantiated media reports,” Congress spokesman Anand Sharma said today.

Fernandes was casting aspersions on the integrity and character of senior officials through his irresponsible statement, he added.

Sharma said “it is understandable that the former defence minister is frustrated” after the election drubbing, but the Congress was not prepared to listen to his sermons on conventions and morality.

“George should recall his tenure as defence minister and re-check his record. He broke all conventions and violated neutrality of armed forces by taking senior officials to the BJP national executive to brief them on Kargil war,” Sharma said.

The Congress has dropped enough hints that it would not let off Fernandes on many controversial issues concerning his record as defence minister, be it the Tehelka or coffin scams or the various defence purchases about which the Comptroller and Auditor-General has commented in his reports.

A thorough probe into his record in office, particularly over the more controversial issues already in the public domain, is on the party’s agenda. Consistent with this thinking, defence minister Pranab Mukherjee has stated he would undertake a review of all controversial deals under Fernandes.

Sharma laughed off Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh’s remarks earlier today that the new government might be intending to target Fernandes out of personal vendetta.

With Fernandes continuing to target Sonia, the Congress is hardly in a mood to order a speedy inquiry into any of the controversial matters involving his tenure. Fernandes had yesterday demanded that the Congress-led Centre institute an inquiry and come up with a report within two weeks. “If they (NDA) can keep alive the Bofors controversy for 20 years, why should we oblige him by conducting an inquiry into (the) coffin scam in two weeks as he has demanded?” a party leader asked.

The Congress also counselled former deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani to draw the correct conclusion on the people’s mandate in the Lok Sabha polls. “Let Advani introspect rather than blame the Congress for allegedly conducting a negative campaign,” Sharma said.

He disputed Advani’s claim on Friday that the mandate was “fractured and divided”. He said the truth was “it is a rejection of the BJP-led communal and fascist forces and a vote in favour of secular and democratic alternative to the BJP-led NDA”.