Anne-Francois-Louis Janmot paintings

he is willing to face any inquiry in the matter. "This is a conspiracy hatched by opponents of my party. It is a politically motivated campaign,'' Laxman says. On Wednesday, four top defense ministry and Army officers were placed under suspension for allegedly accepting or showing willingness to accept money to fix defense deals. The government has made no official response, although the prime minister was due on Wednesday night to have an emergency meeting with senior government officials. Laxman's counterpart in the Samata Party, Jaya Jaitley, also featured in the tapes. He has not responded. An NDA spokesman says the suspensions were made after a preliminary inquiry. He added the ministry will take strict action against any other official if any delinquency of conduct is established. The scandal has set off a political storm, with the opposition calling on the