Press Briefing Monday, 18th July 2011

Shri Manish Tewari addressed the media today.

On the question whether the Congress party endorses the position over the statement of Shri Digvijaya Singh who has accused RSS of making bomb factories and alleged involvement in last week’s Mumbai blasts and he has also said that he cannot rule out anything, Shri Tewari said it would be better if you ask him.

On the question of the reaction of the Congress party on the kind of politics that on one hand the Congress party is indicating that RSS may be behind the blast whereas on the other hand, a Muslim person, who may be innocent died in police custody, Shri Tewari said what happened with regard to the person who died in the police custody is indeed most unfortunate. I think it should be properly investigated and if at all there is a custodial torture angle to it which the Mumbai police are disclaiming and all those who are responsible must be brought to book. Unfortunately and this is a general statement. This is not in context to Mumbai custodial terror or violence in custody is an issue which still has not come out of the closet but it needs to be dealt with, deliberated and appropriate safeguards need to be enforced. I would once again like to qualify that this statement has not been made in the context of what happened in Mumbai. It is a generic statement with regard to custodial violence which we as MPs also have to deal with almost on a daily basis in our constituencies.

To a question of a tripartite agreement in Darjeeling and can we see a model of all those demands who are demanding a separate state, Shri Tewari said it is a tough constitutional question and I do not think it will be appropriate for me to answer off the cuff the reason I am saying is because every situation has a very peculiar set of circumstances. So, therefore, for a particular arrangement to really become a template across the country, I think would be a stretch of extrapolation and I would refrain from doing that. There has been an arrangement which has been like that in Gorkhaland, we do hope that it would bring enduring and lasting peace to a region which has been troubled. Insofar as using it as a template is concerned, I have already made our position clear.

On the question whether the Congress party has come across any such information from any source regarding bomb factories, Shri Tewari said neither do I head the national investigating agencies nor do I head the CBI. It is not my remit to substitute my opinion for the opinion of those institutions or agencies which have been tasked with the responsibility of securing the interest of India but, yes, I would definitely like to underscore that the Samjhauta Express and the investigation which has taken place unfortunately is a case in point where the involvement of certain individuals and certain organizations which have upward linkages have now been established proved in the investigative process.

To another question on the reaction of the Congress party over the prevalent situation in Andhra Pradesh with regard to creation of separate Telengana state, Shri Tewari said we have dealt with the issue of Telengana earlier also and our view is that the gerrymandering of the political boundaries is always something which is extremely emotive. There is a reason to stay engaged with all the stakeholders who are part of the process but also there is a reason to be patient. I do not think by trying to force the issue you would be achieving anything because eventually any decision which is taken is predicated on one very simple maxim whether it serves or sub-serves the national interest.

On the reaction of the Congress party that a person has been arrested in connection with the cash-for-vote scam and who would have been the ultimate beneficiary, Shri Tewari said as I have stated that the cash-for-vote episode or the alleged cash-for-vote episode was enquired into by a parliamentary committee, it has been discussed on the floor of house. There is an investigation which is in progress. I do not think it will be appropriate to second guess that investigation. Let that investigation play out and let the law take its own course.

Shri Tewari further said under those circumstances I would like to say is that what needs to be kept in mind is that the ultimate beneficiary for whom grapes might have gone sour.

On the reaction of the Congress party whether there is a leadership crisis in Jaish-e-Mohammad and LeT cadre with the killing of their respective leaders in an encounter, Shri Tewari said I think I am not aware of any leadership crisis because I do not study the Jaish-e-Mohammad and LeT on a regular basis but as I said if there is a terrorist organization which threatens the unity and integrity of India which seeks to subvert the Indian state through use of violence, it needs to be crushed and it needs to be crushed finally and in totality.

On another question whether the Congress party endorses the position of the Home Minister when asked who is responsible for the Mumbai blasts where he has said we cannot rule out anything, Shri Tewari said this repeated line of questioning whether we endorse a position or we disagree with a position, I think, with all due respect, it is a very erroneous line of question. If at all, we have to say something on a particular issue, we can say it either suo-moto or without having to endorse or distance ourselves from anybody. With regard to your specific question, there is an investigation which is in progress and to unnecessarily speculate on an investigation when it is in progress only tantamount to rubbing salt into the wounds of those who will have to carry the cross of that terror act for the remaining part of their lives and I think we do a great disservice to the country by not allowing the investigations to pan out and reach appropriate conclusions. So, therefore, there what has really been missing in the discourse over the past week is how do we build up those capacities to see that even 1% of those attack s are not able to get through. I do not think there is any rocket science involved in figuring out that the security agencies have to be lucky always with their capacities and a terrorist organization has to be lucky only once. So, therefore, I think there is a need to focus the national discourse as to how we build up capacities to even obviate that 1%n possibility and in this process, unnecessary speculation when an investigation is on, I think, is a great disservice to this country.

On the reaction of the Congress party over Anna Hazare moving the Hon’ble Apex Court that his movement may also not be met with the same fate as that of Baba Ramdev, Shri Tewari said it is a free country and anybody knocking at the doors of any court and if you have not been a part of any political agitation, the fear of the police stick is something natural. I think if he would have been a part of a political agitation at any point of time, he would have liberated himself from that fear. But I would like to raise a larger question that people who hold up the mirror of morality to others who preach morality to the country at times need to see their own face in that mirror also. Justice Sawant Commission of Enquiry has raised very serious question about the role of Shri Hazare and his organizations. The question is not whether any government has acted upon it or not. That is entirely a different issue. The larger question is that when you preach morality or project yourself as repository of all moral values, people have a legitimate reason to ask as to where you stand with regard to what Justice Sawant has said about you and your organizations in his enquiry report.   
 

(Tom Vadakkan)
Secretary, AICC