Former prime minister Deve Gowda on Tuesday offered to face any inquiry into defence purchases made during his tenure as prime minister.

The no-confidence motion debate coverage

Speaking for the no-confidence motion moved against the government by the Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi, he said he had written a letter to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee asking him to tell the nation whether the Central Vigilance Commission had named any former prime ministers and defence ministers in its report.

He was referring to a CVC report that has pointed out irregularities in defence purchases.

"Revealing such names would not amount to compromising the security of the nation," he said.

He wanted to know if the present government had floated global tenders of Rs 75,000 crore for defence purchases.

He dwelt at length about the defence purchases made during his tenure, particularly T-98 tanks from Russia.

He also accused the NDA government of not looking after the needs of farmers.