Press Briefing Monday, 3rd May 2010

Shri Abhishek Singhvi addressed the media today.


Shri Abhishek Singhvi said that we have heard many sermons by the BJP regarding or lamenting criminalization in Indian politics. We have been also hearing demands in the recent past repeatedly for resignations of Ministers by the BJP. There has to be some limit to the hypocrisy the double-facedness of the BJP. They are running their first State Government in the South of India. They treated this as their first toe-hold in the South. What does that toe-hold show? That toe-hold in Karnataka shows a whole foot, a whole body steeped in serious criminal charges, a whole body politics steeped in criminal charges, steeped in nepotism, corruption, cheating and deception. Not less than 5 Ministers have covered themselves in glory -the glory of murder, assault, cheating, bank fraud and so on. Two Ministers from the Reddy family – Mr. Janardan Reddy and Mr. Karunakar Reddy. There are several serious allegations regarding mining scams pending trans-border in Karnataka and/or in Andhra along with criminal complaints like attempt to murder. They occupy two extremely important and weighty portfolios. It is many months from this podium we have raised this issue. I do not think this country or you have received any answer. There is a Social Welfare Minister Mr. D. Sudhakar who is certainly doing a lot of welfare but not to society - serious concrete charges and charges of bank fraud. Most interesting is Mr. Renukacharaya, BJP Excise Minister facing charges of extortion and of assault and sexually insulting the modesty of woman involving a Nurse named Jayalakshmi. There is Mr. Anand Asmotikar, Fisheries Minister - accused of murder. There is Mr. Murugesh Thrau accused of power theft. How many of these persons have offered to resign, forget resignation - none. How many have resigned – none. I am not including a token resignation yesterday and today. These are not yesterday’s charges. Are these charges serious? They are serious criminal charges. I have listed for you - murder, assault, corruption, nepotism, criminal intimidation and so on and so forth. Certainly I would imagine on any rational basis more serious than alleged conflict of interest on issues of sweat equity. This is the greed of the BJP and its Ministers for pulp, for power and for position and that greed is too strong to allow any corrective action by their own party, by their own Government or by themselves. I want to remind you that this party has always treated criminal charges lightly. While trying to make hypocritical protestation no less than the Deputy Prime Minister was for many years accused as Deputy Prime Minister and senior Minister in the Government of charges under 153(a) of the Indian Penal Code which carries punishment up to 7 years. In fact charge sheet was filed. It is a different matter that being in power efforts were made by not attending court to prevent actual charges being framed when the charge sheet was filed. The then Defence Minister Mr. George Fernandes was taken back before even the pretence of the enquiry set up by the BJP itself had been completed and that was nothing but pretence because there was no coercive action, no FIR, no criminal action. This party has always tried to fool the public. It has always tried to preach without practice. It has always practiced the politics of hypocrisy and double-facedness. They need to explain to this country to which they are accountable. They need to explain to this country how their standard starts differing in Delhi for others and different in Karnataka for themselves.

On the question of the Congress Party shielding Mr. Raja in view of the fresh allegations against him with regard to 2G spectrum and other related questions, Shri Singhvi said that there is no question of shielding. These are in the nature of allegations. Many of them have been discussed in Parliament in the last to last session. I am not talking of the last pre-inter session period but the session prior to the last year. They have been revived. I also need to remind you that Mr. Raja does not belong to the Congress Party and I speak for the Congress Party. But certainly there is nothing in the realm of proof or credible evidence. They have been discussed threadbare in the Parliament partly also in this two inter-session periods. All I can say is that the Government which is a Congress led UPA Government has over the last seven years and even before that, I am talking of the period when we were not in power, shown exemplary rectitude and exemplary standards of conduct. I do not want to go into the examples. You have to test and put other parties to the same exalted standards which the Congress Party has at least proudly proclaimed. There is no question of defending somebody who is not an accused. At the one level I am talking of charge sheeted person, CBI enquiry and criminal court cases. At the other end you are bringing in parliamentary discussions where people are making allegations. I think you must, in a sense of balance, keep that differentiation.

On the question of Mr. Karunanidhi meeting the Congress Party on Mr. Raja issue, Mr. Singhvi said that what happened in the meeting, I cannot say. All I can say is that these are matters, if at all discussed, we are not privy at the press conferences.

On the question of Mr. Tharoor being given clean chit by the Congress Party, Mr. Singhvi said that there is no question of clean chit. These are your words. There was an allegation. Mr. Tharoor continues to be a Hon’ble Member of Parliament. Surely a Hon’ble Member of Parliament is entitled to join a Parliamentary Committee. That is all that has happened. A Hon’ble MP who is a former Minister and comes back as a Member of Parliament and ceases to be a Minister, is surely not disqualified from being a Member of a Parliamentary Committee. So please don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill.

On the question of Municipal elections in West Bengal and the statement of TMC President on those elections, Shri Singhvi said that I do not think anybody is denying that there are some differences over the seat sharing at Municipal elections. The myth that political arrangement or coalitions between parties must be uniform at the centre, at the state, at the district, at the municipal or at the panchayat level is just that, it is a myth. It stands exploded long ago. It is not true of any party; it is not true of any political formation. Our coalition and arrangement in Delhi is strong. The fact that we are not able to have full seat sharing is no reflection on those larger issues.

On Ajmal Kasab case, Shri Singhvi said that the Congress Party and the Congress led UPA welcomes a judicial adjudication within a reasonable time schedule on one of India’s most famous or in-famous terrorist trial. This was an issue which shook the conscience of India, the ‘atma’ of India but we did not alter in our devotion to democratic and fair means. We have had a very detailed fair balanced trial just like any other citizen and this is the meaning of true democracy that it is a moment for India to be proud. This was a case where 50 officers were able to prepare a charge sheet within the mandatory 90 days. The charge sheet is over 11,000 pages and each page is to be carefully stated. The witness statement ran to over 2000 statements including all statements. There were 200 days of argument. There are as written submissions alone about 700 pages by each side. We are proud that no process of legitimate right available to you and to me has been circumvented and within a reasonable time we have a judgment but ultimately we are making no value judgment about that judgment. It is a judicial process and just like we welcome that judgment, we will welcome the sentence likely to be pronounced tomorrow.


 

Tom Vadakkan
Secretary, AICC