Press Briefing
Monday, 10th October 2011
Shri Manish
Tewari addressed the media today.
Shri Manish Tewari said the reports which have
appeared suggest that the Bhartiya Janata Party
is planning to articulate core issues during
their proposed ‘yatra’. On each of these issues,
the contradictions between the ‘words’ and
‘deeds’ of BJP could not be more stark and
apparent. Before I deal with the issues, I think
it would be appropriate to point out that
perhaps it would have been better if the BJP had
decided to either start the ‘yatra’ from
Bengaluru or Dehradun. After all they have
governance in both those states. They have a
moral responsibility to raise ‘jan-chetna’ and
in one state they have recently replaced the
Chief Minister who was indicted by the Lokayukta
and in another state they have replaced the
Chief Minister because of the central issues.
The BJP claims that it is committed to a very
strong and an effective Lokpal. Yet it opposes
the appointment of a Lokayukta vociferously in
Gujarat and if reports which have come over the
last fifteen minutes, are correct that the
Gujarat High Court has upheld the appointment of
the Lokayukta, then it would be interesting to
watch whether the BJP decides to appeal against
the decision of the Gujarat High Court. The BJP
says that it is going to raise the issue of
aberrations in the judiciary during the ‘yatra’.
It seems that the BJP has conveniently forgotten
that it is not the NDA which during its seven
years in office attempted to deal with the
issue, it is a UPA government which brought the
Judicial Accountability Bill and incidentally
when it was scrutinized in the Standing
Committee; it got unanimous support from the
members of the BJP also. Similarly, the BJP says
that we will raise the issue of electoral
reforms. I am not going to go into the track
record of their seven years in government. We
are going to ask them that during their seven
years in opposition did they make a single
substantive suggestion as to how the electoral
process should be reformed. How substantive was
the participation of BJP in the very wide
ranging national consultation which has been
held by the UPA over the last one year on this
issue? Similarly on the question of black-money
– undoubtedly black-money is an issue but is
this issue going to get resolved through
‘yatras’ or is it going to get resolved by
resolute action. It is the UPA government which
played a leading role in forging the
international consensus to deal with money
parked in tax heavens. It is the UPA government
which updated 66 dual tax avoidance agreements
and put into place ten more tax information
exchange agreements with destinations which are
labeled as tax heavens. So, therefore, this
‘yatra’ has as less to do with substantive
issues as a recent fast had to do with ‘sadbhavna’.
The only and only objective of this ‘yatra’ is
to see whether 2014 can be fast-forwarded to
2012 and unfortunately that something which is
not going to happen.
On the question of reaction of the Congress
party over the Anna team maintaining that Hissar
bye-poll will be a test case for the Congress
party over Lokpal, Shri Tewari said insofar as
Lokpal process is concerned, it is under the
examination of the Parliamentary Standing
Committee. Insofar as the call to vote against
the Congress party in the Hissar bye-election is
concerned, I am not able to understand that is
it their determination that the opposition
parties which are contesting this poll are
bathed in milk and smelling of honey and roses.
I don’t think it is any secret as to what is the
sort of political ethos that they come from So,
therefore, if you look at the entire issue in
totality, it somehow makes you conclude that it
is not the fight against the corruption but
anti-congressism is the reference point of this
call. Shri Tewari further said it is also, I
think, important to keep in mind that is this
really about the corruption or is it again the
traditional battle over the basic ‘Idea of
India’ which is being played out in the garb of
other issues.
To a further question as to the ‘Idea of India’,
Shri Tewari said I have only given you our
interpretation based upon the analysis of
different events and statements as they have
unfolded and I think what gives balance to the
argument is that you have the entire Lokpal
process in place before a Standing Committee of
parliament. That Standing Committee of
parliament is meeting on a weekly basis. It is
hearing all the stakeholders who possibly want
to participate in that process. It has not
reached a determination as yet. So before the
process has played itself out completely, if you
had decided to go ahead and up ante, then I
think some of the issues that I have raised are
logical questions that we can ask ourselves.
On another question on the reaction of the
Congress party over the raids at the residence
of the former Minister Dayanidhi Maran in
connection with 2-G scam, Shri Tewari said it
would not be appropriate on my part to comment
on it since he himself is the Member of the JPC
which is looking into the 2-G cases. Secondly it
has always been our tradition that we don’t
comment on any issue which is pending
investigation.
To a question over the audio tapes of the
recording of the discussion of joint Lokpal
draft bill committee, Shri Tewari said I think
if an application has been made and the
government has taken a certain view on it, there
is no reason to be commenting on it. It is the
government decision one or way or the other and
I don’t think there is any need to get into it.
On the question of the reaction of the Congress
party over the statement of Shri Salman Khurshid
on the economic liberalization, Shri Tewari said
I think you need to see the Law Minister’s
statement in a holistic perspective and possibly
in the context that it has been made. There is
absolutely no denying the fact that India and
the Indian economy has benefitted from 20 years
of liberalization. Yes, if there are any
aberrations, those people who are responsible
for those aberrations must definitely be brought
to book. However, if an attempt is made to paint
and tart the entire entrepreneurial class with a
black brush or if everything is sought to be
labeled as an alleged scam, then I think we do
run the risk of dis-incentivising in investments
and the flow of capital which is essential for
the development of any economy. So I don’t think
that the Law Minister held a brief for any
aberrations which have been committed. He merely
pointed towards a fact that in a liberalized
economy, dealing with aberrations is the job of
the judiciary into which there should be no
interference. However, it is also important that
we take a balanced view and do not tart the
entrepreneurial class with black brush of
financial scamsters.
On the question of further reaction of the
Congress party over Shri Sanjay Nirupam writing
a letter to PAC on the quantum of losses as
stated by CAG and if there is any need to
revisit the issue, Shri Tewari said I don’t
think it would be appropriate for me to be
commenting about it since I had raised the same
issue in the meeting of the JPC held on 14th
September. There have been various reports in
the public space with regard to what is the
quantum of presumptive loss. So I think it is
important that a determination should be made
and if PAC has decided to take initiative, we
should leave it to their wisdom to see as to how
best they would like to deal with it.
On the question of Shri Digvijaya Singh’s
statement on Anna Hazare, Shri Tewari said I do
not want to comment on what Shri Digvijaya Singh
Ji has said. However, experience has proved that
in retrospect invariably he proves to be
uncannily right.
On the question of the reaction of the Congress
party over different leaders of the party have
different stance with regard to Anna Hazare,
Shri Tewari said insofar as Anna Hazre
personally is concerned, I don’t think that any
of us have any animus against him. Personally I
have the profoundest respect for anybody who is
elder to me in age. But, Yes, on issues and
issues which concern public policy, there can be
a legitimate difference of perception and I
think if a perception or a difference in
perception on a public issue or policy issue is
articulated, that needs to be rightly seen in
that sense of the word.
On a question over the judgment given by the
Gujarat High Court in the matter of appointment
of Lokayukta in Gujarat, Shri Tewari said, as
caveated in my earlier remarks that if the
information which has come from Gujarat is
correct, unless and until you study the verdict,
it may be inappropriate to comment about it. But
the issue which the BJP has to answer is that
when you hold a press conference in Delhi, you
say you are committed for a strong and an
effective Lokpal. On the other hand, your state
government, which you try and put out as your
mascot of development, decides to oppose the
appointment of Lokayukta tooth and nail, there
is a conceptual inherent contradiction in the
words and deeds of the BJP. So I think this is
the larger issue which the BJP has to answer and
if at all on the verdict, there is something to
be said, yes, we will peruse the judgment and if
there is any need to comment, we will come back
to you.
On the question of blame game over the CWG, Shri
Tewari said honestly if the Sports Minister has
made a statement, I am not cognizant of it and I
think I would be unfair to the Sports Minister
to react on a statement which he ostensibly has
made without really perusing it.
At the end, Shri Tewari condoled the death of
Shri Jagjit Singh who was a renowned artist of
India.
(Tom Vadakkan)
Secretary, AICC
