Press Briefing Monday, 29th August 2011

Shri Abhishek Singhvi addressed the media today.


Shri Abhishek Singhvi said we now have to look ahead living in the present while looking positively at the future is much better than digging up the past. Recrimination rarely yields positive or creative results. The Congress party is confident that the collective will of all stakeholders i.e. the political parties and the government are no less a stakeholder will sustain the momentum and direction which will hopefully give us the strongest possible Lokpal Bill in the interest of the nation. The Standing Committee which is a working and functional mini Parliament will consider all inputs including the vital input of the sense of the each House. As far as the Congress party is concerned, it is Congress party’s resolve to have as strong a Lokpal as possible is self evident. Indeed its General Secretary Shri Rahul Gandhi has expressed the hope of an even more elevated body with constitutional status as the ultimate object of our endeavors. The Congress party hopes and trusts that all stakeholders will exercise self restraint and reflect reasonableness in their approaches as this exercise proceeds constructively to fruition in the very proximate future. We are confident that everyone will rise to the occasion as indeed they have in the very recent past.

On the question of the reaction of the Congress party on the statement of Shri Rahul Gandhi and does it mean that it is the ultimate and final destination of the Lokpal Bill; Shri Singhvi said I want to make it clear that the Congress party has always stood for a comprehensive and a strong Lokpal. Indeed it has made its stand clear through its General Secretary that it would like a Lokpal to be even stronger, even more elevated in the sense of a constitutional status body. However, I deprecate attempts to suggest that this is intended to delay or derail because that is an additional ultimate destination view not something which should interfere with any process which is going on.

On another question as to whether it would be possible to pass the Lokpal bill within one month as demanded by Anna Hazare, Shri Singhvi said I have not heard of any such resolution but it is within the jurisdiction of the Standing Committee, which will, after receiving inputs from all stakeholders, try to finalize the same within the shortest possible time and present a Bill before the winter session of the parliament. It would not be appropriate for me to fix any time limit in the public interest and in the interest of the nation.

To a question on the reform of the parliamentary system as demanded by Anna Hazare, Shri Singhvi said all concepts, ideas, reforms and progressions, if they are constructive, can certainly be looked at, discussed but I do not want to suggest anything from this podium which can be understood to me that the Parliament is into some new model of decision making or legislating and unless and until there is all party consensus and there is a large degree of agreement on these issues, first outside parliament and then inside parliament, there is no question of speculating on purely hypothetical academic issues.

On another question of the mercy petition, as supported by the DMK, of the assassins of Shri Rajiv Gandhi, Shri Singhvi said the Congress party has no view on this issue either way because the Congress party has always stood for this being a constitutional, thereafter statutory & legal and thereafter administrative process. We are certainly not commenting on it in any way.

Shri Singhvi further said that DMK is not the Congress party and we have no comments of our own and no comment on the DMK’s view point except what has been stated above.

On the question of the reaction of the Congress party on the demand of Anna Hazare on electoral reforms and right to recall, Shri Singhvi said the Congress party believes that these are certainly the issues which are novel and which can be seen and discussed but they are complex and complicated issues. They are concepts which have to be very carefully scrutinized and only if there is a very long and large process of discussion and agreement between all stakeholders on the political scene in and out of the parliament only then can and should such things proceed further. They are not the casual things to be thrown in a half hearted and light hearted manner.

On the question of the reaction of the Congress party on the privilege motion, Shri Singhvi said as far as the issue of privilege motion is concerned, I am not aware of the exact status except that certain people have moved privilege motion. These are entirely first for the Chairman to consider and then for the relevant Privilege Motion Committee to consider the same. Indeed it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the merits of the privilege motion because that may itself constitute a breach of privilege.

On another question on the reaction of the Congress party on the statement of Nitin Gadkari of BJP, Shri Singhvi said I have no locus and do not intend to exercise any jurisdiction regarding the BJP. Shri Singhvi further said the Congress party has not believed and does not believe that a political leadership especially of an all India party like the Congress can work under any leadership other than its own political leadership and that is the essence of a democratic polity in India and certainly we are proud of carrying a heritage of over 125 years of political leadership and we consider ourselves fully capable and having all requisite capacities to deal with all situations.

On another question on the remarks of opposition leader in Lok Sabha that CBI is ‘Congress Bachao Institution’, Shri Singhvi said that they make comments on the CBI according to their suitability and further said investigation against Jaganmohan Reddy was initiated under the order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court and his appeal was also rejected by the Hon’ble Apex Court.

 

(Tom Vadakkan)
Secretary, AICC