Press Briefing
Friday, 28th October 2011
Shri Abhishek
Singhvi addressed the media today.
Shri Abhishek Singhvi said as per the permission
of the Congress President, we wish to announce
the entry of the following two persons into the
Congress Party:
1. Shri Qazi Mohammad Nizamuddin who happens to
be sitting BSP MLA from Uttarakhand in his
second term from Mangalore;
2. Shri Amrish Kumar, former MLA holding several
senior positions in the Samajwadi Party.
We have pleasure in announcing and welcoming
their entry into the Congress Party under the
kind permission of the Congress President.
Shri Abhishek Singhvi said the UP Chief Minister
does protests too much. There is a lot of sound
and a lot of theory but no facts. Facts are
inconvenient. Truth is indeed a mirror and
mirrors do not lie. The UP Chief Minister
actually needs to be congratulated for topping
the chart once again but it is a left-handed
compliment because the chart which she and her
administration and the state has topped as per
the latest figures and statistics available for
2010 by a statutory body – National Crime Record
Bureau – released for 2010 - puts the crime rate
as the highest in the state of UP for the
available latest year. Shri Singhvi further said
I am not taking you into the details but roughly
33+% of all crimes registered in the country are
registered in UP. Incidentally on a related
parameter, UP also again tops the charts for
which the UP Chief Minister deserves
congratulations again and those are the
published statistics for violent crime in the
same report where again UP is the highest though
in this case the rate has remained static
mercifully at 11%. This is not surprising. It is
only a statistical, a factual confirmation of
what each ‘aam-aadmi’ and ‘aam-aurat’ of UP
knows – knows only too well. Ask them that
‘aam-aadmi’ and he will put flesh and blood into
these cold figures because that flesh and blood
is borne out of agony and everyday experience.
So this is merely a statistical confirmation. UP
has flourished in all the wrong areas because of
the special kindness of this administration and
this Chief Minister. It has flourished in
governmental apathy; it has prospered because
the CM has supported the wrong doings, so it has
prospered in wrong doings. Bureaucratic nepotism
is encouraged and supported by the political
bosses of Uttar Pradesh. Nowhere is the
bureaucracy so disheartened, demoralized,
dejected as in UP and the reason is simple –
blue eyed favorites have galloped to the top
position while the seniority and integrity are
two of the biggest disqualifications with this
government with this administration. Seniority
and integrity are the black marks. That is why;
the backbone of the administration has crumbled
and when the backbone of the administration
crumbles you get these figures. That is when
criminals and crime hold sway and have the run
of the state. The UP Chief Minister and the UP
administration are also protesting too much.
Indeed protesting is a symbol of guilt regarding
the very grave charges of embezzlements and
siphoning in relation to MNREGA. It is no point
holding press conferences to tell you that the
Union Minister’s letter reached press first and
the Chief Minister later. This is an irrelevant
shooting the messenger tactic. Apart from
telling you such trivia, the response of the UP
government is not able to convincingly refute a
single figure because the allegation is again
based on nitty-gritty details on facts and
figures. Indeed such facts and figures cannot be
refuted because they are objective. There is a
district-wise breakup. There is an item-wise
breakup and without giving you too much details,
let me give only two examples. There are around
20-30 districts. In Balrampur – supported by
documents – in 2008 the panchayat of that
district bought 1.5 lakh calendars under the
name of MNREGA – each calendar costing Rs. 31/-.
Tents of Rs. 80 lakhs and first-aid boxes of
lakhs were again purchased. In Ghonda, in
2007-08, toys of Rs. 37 lakhs were purchased in
the name of Women laborers’ crèches. How do you
refute such figures just to say that the letter
whether it reached the press or the CM two days
later or before. How does it make a difference?
This is not the question of toys only but they
are playing with the sentiments of the people of
UP. The people of UP needs an answer from the UP
government.
To a question asked over the statistics
available for Delhi in regard to crime against
women when compared to that of UP, Shri Singhvi
said there has been a decline in such figures in
respect of Delhi. We are talking based on facts
and figures only.
On the question of reaction of the Congress
party over the statement of Shri Digvijaya Singh
that we should have a cue from the case of Shri
Rajat Gupta, Shri Singhvi said we are not
required to comment on every comment of others.
We feel no need to do the same. Shri Singhvi
added the Congress party does not need any view
about legal or judicial proceedings regarding
the individual merits of any case. You are
entitled to ask anybody you like but as Congress
Party, we have no need to comment on judicial
proceedings or the merits or demerits of any
individual case involved in judicial or legal
proceedings.
On the question of reaction of the Congress
party on the reconstitution of Anna Team, Shri
Singhvi said there is no need for the Congress
party to comment on the internal constitution,
reconstitution or de-constitution of any other
body.
To another question on the tragedy happening in
West Bengal, Shri Singhvi said I think there is
no question of reaction. It is a terrible
incident. We are horrified. Anybody who has seen
it would be horrified. I think immediate action
has to be taken to prevent recurrence and fixing
of blame and punishment will and must follow but
at the moment the need of the hour which the
Chief Minister has already commissioned on a
massive scale must be to prevent any remote
recurrence of this terrible tragedy. It is a
terrible tragedy and it is a human problem.
On another question as to why the irregularities
in the MNREGA has been pointed at this point
when these had happened in 2008, Shri Sinvhgi
said district-wise audit starts later and much
later. Please understand the size of the
exercise. This is a district-wise audit. The
point is these audits start towards the end of
the relevant year and given the size and
numbers, it takes very long time. After the
audit it takes further time to reinforce correct
check and counter-check figures. So this has
come only recently and the second point is that
these are completely irrelevant issues. We have
not yet heard of any refutation on the merits.
To another question on the rate of inflation and
rising prices, Shri Singhvi said I take your
point. We are extremely concerned in the current
context.
To another question on the statement of Shri KV
Thomas on the price rise when he commented that
eating habit of the people is the reason for the
price rise, Shri Singhvi said it is very unfair
to pluck out one sentence out of a much larger
address and to seek comment on it out of
context. In that address, he has emphasized the
multi-pronged reasons for the hike. This is one
out of many and I totally disagree that this is
the main or the only reason which he has
emphasized. I refuse to comment on out of
context comment.
On the question of the reaction of the Congress
Party over the position of J&K Congress
President Shri Saif-ud-din Soz with regard to
the proposal of J&K CM for revoking of AFSPA
from Jammu & Kashmir, Shri Singhvi said you are
asking me at the third level on the third
occasion. The PCC President has spoken. The
Congress party does not need to add or subtract
from what has been stated by the PCC President
and we fully endorse and uphold that view. The
view expressed by the State in-charge is the
view of the Congress party. Our view on AFSPA is
what has been articulated by the state
in-charge. A decision has to be taken in
consultation with all relevant stakeholders and
that certainly includes the Army, central
government, the ruling coalition and elements of
it and others.
On the question of economic blockade in Manipur,
Shri Singhvi said it is regrettable and has to
be set right. Blockades because of local
regional sentiments create a major problem. It
is very limited in both - time, space and degree
and we have no doubt it will sort itself out
very shortly because all steps have been taken.
But certainly we do not support for a minute
irrespective of reasons a blockade which imposes
on ‘aam-aadmi’ or ‘aam-person’ the consequences
of which are extremely serious.
(Tom Vadakkan)
Secretary, AICC
