Press Briefing
Thursday, 17th March 2011
Shri Abhishek Singhvi addressed the media
today.
Shri Abhishek Singhvi said it is utterly
regrettable, indeed completely unsupportable
that the BJP is back to its old tactics of
disrupting parliament acting contrary to all
elementary norms of democracy. They are
pretending to be accusers and it is funny that
those against whom they have leveled accusations
want to answer them in parliament, discuss
issues in parliament but BJP wants parliament
not to function. This is unfortunate because
everyday can give a new excuse, a new pretence,
a new reason and if individuals reasons everyday
are to be the basis of disrupting parliament,
then no parliament can function. This is
reprehensible. It is wrong. It is
anti-democratic. It is obvious that it is they
who have something to hide, if they do not allow
the parliament to function, not us. Secondly,
yesterday, it was Gujarat, today some
interpretation of wikiLeaks, tomorrow it will be
a new excuse. Disruptions have to be a
non-negotiable issue irrespective of reason, in
any case irrespective of such reasons. Before I
come to wikLeaks, I must add that does the BJP
think that certain parts of India are above the
law. That Gujarat is above the law, that the
territory of Gujarat is an area to which the
Income Tax Act does not apply or is it because
every territory which is temporary under BJP
rule should not have Indian laws applicable. It
is most regrettable because a mere question is
asked under a statutory format, an act of
parliament permits a department of Finance
Ministry to ask questions and obviously
preemptively for those who have something to
hide, the question is not attempted to be
allowed to be answered by creating an
unfortunate ruckus in parliament. This is
typical of those who want to create a
self-serving arch of immunity around themselves
possibly to hide illegality. Certainly, if there
is over 400 Billion US dollars of investment
promised in one season, certainly there is a
party which is not shedding crocodile tears
about black-money, what possible sense of
balance it can have to give us sermons to
prevent the Income Tax department even from
issuing a notice. They have not answered the
notice. They have not responded on the merits of
the questions, they have not told you that the
questions have these answers, this is the
position, this is false and this is true. They
say I am above the law because I am the BJP. I
am above the law because I am Mr. Narendra Modi.
I am above the law because I am Gujarat. And
then raise a state issue in parliament and then
disrupt parliament. They did the same about
Karnataka.
Turning to wikiLeaks, let us first understand
clearly what is happening and what people are
doing to destabilize this country forget
politics, forget governments but the country
itself is sought to be destabilized by people
who have no sense of responsibility. Wikileaks
are the subjective recording by Mr. ‘A’ of his
conversations with Mr. ‘B‘as reported by Mr. ‘A’
to Mr. ‘C’ and sometimes referring to Mr. ‘D’.
It is amazing that an entire country with the
history, the depth and the width of democracy
which India has, must be held to ransom because
of the subjective recording of a conversation
between ‘A’ and ‘B’ by ‘A’ reported to ‘C’ his
boss and referring to ‘D’. In law, it would be
called hearsay, on hearsay, on hearsay. It is
hearsay on stilts. The original phrase used to
be ‘nonsense on stilts’. This is hearsay on
stilts. But apart from this, let us look at the
substance. There is no verification, there is no
authentication, and there is no objective
corroborative evidence of any kind to suggest
that this bizarre incident which is described
has taken place. Does the BJP and those who
support BJP have any sense of responsibility
that India is so shallow a country as to be
governed by the accounts of American diplomats
who have supposed to have written about our
doings without any verification or corroboration
even from American diplomats? This is
irresponsible, it is irresponsible politics. It
is irresponsible journalism. It is irresponsible
creation of a chaos, uncertainty for own ends.
If somebody thinks that they can increase their
political ratings or if somebody thinks that
they can increase their circulation or sales,
let them remember that they have many ‘No
Confidence Motions’. Similar allegations were
made beyond wikiLeaks also. After
that we have won the elections. We have
absolutely no evidence produced by anyone except
the BJP which has the temerity to pass
resolutions challenging the most remarkably
clean integrity-wise and absolutely spotless
Prime Minister. These are the people who dream
and dream of replacing Prime Ministers but are
destined to remain Prime Ministers-in-waiting.
It is important to note that there are enormous
factual inconsistencies in the report. I think
it would require an ocean of salt before we
started believing accounts from an unnamed,
unidentified person – an American source - who
is supposed to have seen chests of moneys. Does
it sound usual behaviour to you that you will
invite an unnamed, unidentified American person
to show chests which have money and the whole
country is supposed to be held to ransom is to
be paralyzed, governance is to be stopped
because somebody chooses to irresponsibly
publish these as if they are gospel truths and
more important supposedly responsible opposition
chooses to pass resolutions on it. It would be a
sad day and fortunately that sad day has not
come and the Congress and the UPA will have
allowed it to come when such irresponsible
politics is allowed to take the place.
To a question if these reports are factually
inconsistent, unauthenticated or unverified,
that amounts to defaming the government, will
you not go for filing a defamation
suit against the newspaper/publisher, Shri
Singhvi said you have completely reversed all
elementary canons of allegations and proof. It
is not for us to show that they are incorrect.
It is for them who allege to show that they are
correct. The burden and onus is entirely on
them. There is no wikiLeaks to sue. This is an
internet word. Certainly you can take it that we
reserve all our rights. I am giving you an
answer regarding what has been published today.
Certainly I am not giving anyone a clean chit.
Certainly I am not giving up any rights which
individuals or governments or departments may
have but the question today is what has been
said to which you have no answer. There is not
an iota of proof of any kind direct or indirect
and, therefore, all that I have said earlier is
important.
Shri Singhvi further added that it is absolutely
not worth dignifying with a response. It is for
them who want to create sensationalism to
produce that iota of supporting
evidence. It is a very sorry state of affairs
and deserves apology.
To another question as to why there has been no
criminal investigation into cash- for-vote scam,
Shri Singhvi said whatever investigation has
been done at that time is before you and it has
presented a very murky story about those who are
accusing us and not about us. About further
investigation, that investigation may be going
on. I have no idea of details of it but
certainly to the extent the criminal evidence is
found, it will be taken but that is no ground to
create this kind of thing today.
(Tom Vadakkan)
Secretary, AICC
