Press Briefing
Thursday, 29th December 2011
Shri Manish
Tewari addressed the media today.
Shri Manish Tewari said in the life and affairs
of a nation the political establishment has to
demonstrate both intent and substance. The
United Progressive Alliance government
demonstrated that intent by bringing the Lokpal
Bill expeditiously. It demonstrated substance by
providing for a constitutional status for that
Bill. On the other hand, what did the opposition
- especially the principal opposition -
demonstrate? It demonstrated cursedness by
opposing the constitutional status. Who gained
in the end perhaps no body? But Yes, who lost
were perhaps the people of this country. The
Bill is today under discussion in the Rajya
Sabha. We do hope that wise sense and wisdom
would prevail collectively on the opposition and
this Bill would be allowed to go through. We can
quibble about whether a particular legislation
is strong or weak - whether it provides A
clause or it does not provide B clause and at
the end of the day any legislation is as strong
or as weak as the will of those who
operationlise it. Let us give this legislation a
chance. Let it get operationlised. If at all
there are any shortcomings or there are any
weaknesses in the legislation, parliament is
always free to review and revise it in their
wisdom but not to allow it to go through on the
premise that a certain thing in your perception
may not fulfill certain objectives which you
have in mind raises serious questions about
their intent. Today it is the intent of the
opposition which is on test whether they are at
all committed to the Lokpal Bill and I do hope
that they realize the feeling which is there
among the people and allow a progressive piece
of legislation to see the light of the day.
On the question of reaction of the Congress
party over the fact that even the TMC has not
shown any intent and other questions related
with the Lokpal Bill, Shri Tewari said let us
not get into this quibble as to whose intent may
be coinciding with whom. That is not the point
at issue. The point at issue is whether this
legislation should be given a chance and it has
always been our submission right from day one
that this is a progressive piece of legislation.
You may not feel that it measures up to your
expectations. Perceptions may be different but
allow it to function. It may just end up proving
you wrong. Let us not throw out the baby with
the bath water.
Shri Tewari added that regional parties may come
from a different political understanding of a
given situation. I dont think that is the issue
at hand. All that we are saying is that there is
a piece of legislation which has been brought.
It has been demonstrated both in the Lok Sabha
and Rajya Sabha. Some of the issues which were
raised with regard to its constitutionality are
perhaps not correct. So, therefore, allow this
legislation a chance to be able to work its way
through the system. If at all you feel that the
legislation is inadequate or the law needs to be
strengthened or the law needs to be amended,
that is the power which always vests with the
parliament. Why do we want to kill something at
the initial stage itself? That is the short
point that we are trying to make.
On the question of the reaction of the Congress
party that the dream of Shri Rahul Gandhi giving
constitutional status to the Lokpal Bill has not
come true and whether the Congress MPs who were
absent during voting have been identified and
whether any disciplinary action is going to be
initiated against them, Shri Tewari said this
means that commitment or the professed
commitment of the opposition is not to the
Lokpal Bill. Their professed commitment at the
end of the day is to oppose everything which is
proposed by the Congress party and if it happens
to be proposed by Shri Rahul Gandhi, then your
opposition will become doubly more vicious. At
the end of the day, it is not as if your actions
are all lost in the people. Over the next one
month, all of us will be in the Court of the
people and we will put our arguments and the
facts as to who is how committed to
anti-corruption legislation in front of the
people. This is not the only example. See what
happened yesterday on the Judicial
Accountability Bill. There was parallel
discussion on two legislations. Four hours were
allotted to each of the legislations. After four
hours, the leader of the opposition says that
there should be voting. They could have
completed the discussion. So, therefore, their
intent is not clear.
Shri Tewari said that the names of the MPs who
were absent have been made public and I need not
repeat it. As far as issue of show-cause notice
to them or initiation of any disciplinary action
against them is concerned, this is within the
jurisdiction of the Parliamentary Affairs
Minister. After all, Parliamentary Affairs
Minister is responsible also for the affairs of
the parliamentary party. He will be before you
today evening and he would in a far more
appropriate position to answer your question far
more holistically.
To a question over the smooth passage of the
Lokpal Bill in the Rajya Sabha since the UPA
does not have the required numbers in the Rajya
Sabha, Shri Tewari said that the number game is
not a secret and is known to everybody. No one
should play politics and need to rise above
politics and keep the interest of the nation in
mind since the opposition has been maintaining
since beginning that they are committed to fight
out the corruption. The opposition has tried to
politicize the issue of corruption. They try to
oppose every effort made or being made by the
government in this direction. The discussion on
the Bill is going on in the Rajya Sabha and we
do hope that keeping in mind the interest of the
nation, good wisdom would prevail on the
opposition and they would take a positive
decision.
(Tom Vadakkan)
Secretary, AICC
