7 Aug 2003
Rajesh Ramachandran
The Times of India
NEW DELHI: Politics was much simpler in the nineteen eighties. There used to be no unanimity between the ruling party and the Opposition MPs on controversial issues as in Wednesday's public accounts committee (PAC) observations on "coffin scam".
The coffin scam is to Congress what Bofors was to BJP -- a political tool to embarrass, campaign and if possible dislodge the government. But the great difference is in how the Congress decided to have a "unanimous" report even on this issue. The NDA members in the PAC fully cooperated with chairman Buta Singh of the Congress in not submitting a report at all and to wait for yet another agency's (Central Vigilance Commissioner) report. The PAC's responsibility is to look into the CAG report and to arrive at a conclusion. After all CVC is but a recent insitution that has no bearing on the CAG's functioning.
But during the Bofors scam days there was not even a CAG report on the issue and the controversy was based on media reports. The government announced a joint parliamentarty committee with the Opposition first rejecting the idea and then asking for committee's chair.
The government did not agree and most of the Opposition parties boycotted the JPC. Yet, when the JPC report was tabled on April 26, 1988, it contained a dissent note from a Congress ally AIADMK member, Alladi Aruna.
His 20-page note ended thus: "The conclusion of the report no doubt conceal the facts of the deal and cover up the connivance of our government with Bofors and refuse to identify the recepients who could be none other than Indians or Indian associates or both."
Despite the boycott, Atal Bihari Vajpayee moved a motion in the Rajya Sabha on May 11 asking for the Attorney General to be called to the house to clarify the JPC report. In the Lok Sabha, opposition member S Jaipal Reddy initiated a discussion under Rule 193 on May 14: "If Bofors kickbacks is the biggest scandal in India's history the JPC report may well be described as the biggest whitewash in Parliamentary history. After going through the report I am convinced that the uncanny wisdom of the entire Opposition to keep off the Bofors committee has been vindicated'.
Now, the PAC headed by a Congress member has no dissent but only unanimity.
Rajesh Ramachandran
The Times of India
NEW DELHI: Politics was much simpler in the nineteen eighties. There used to be no unanimity between the ruling party and the Opposition MPs on controversial issues as in Wednesday's public accounts committee (PAC) observations on "coffin scam".
The coffin scam is to Congress what Bofors was to BJP -- a political tool to embarrass, campaign and if possible dislodge the government. But the great difference is in how the Congress decided to have a "unanimous" report even on this issue. The NDA members in the PAC fully cooperated with chairman Buta Singh of the Congress in not submitting a report at all and to wait for yet another agency's (Central Vigilance Commissioner) report. The PAC's responsibility is to look into the CAG report and to arrive at a conclusion. After all CVC is but a recent insitution that has no bearing on the CAG's functioning.
But during the Bofors scam days there was not even a CAG report on the issue and the controversy was based on media reports. The government announced a joint parliamentarty committee with the Opposition first rejecting the idea and then asking for committee's chair.
The government did not agree and most of the Opposition parties boycotted the JPC. Yet, when the JPC report was tabled on April 26, 1988, it contained a dissent note from a Congress ally AIADMK member, Alladi Aruna.
His 20-page note ended thus: "The conclusion of the report no doubt conceal the facts of the deal and cover up the connivance of our government with Bofors and refuse to identify the recepients who could be none other than Indians or Indian associates or both."
Despite the boycott, Atal Bihari Vajpayee moved a motion in the Rajya Sabha on May 11 asking for the Attorney General to be called to the house to clarify the JPC report. In the Lok Sabha, opposition member S Jaipal Reddy initiated a discussion under Rule 193 on May 14: "If Bofors kickbacks is the biggest scandal in India's history the JPC report may well be described as the biggest whitewash in Parliamentary history. After going through the report I am convinced that the uncanny wisdom of the entire Opposition to keep off the Bofors committee has been vindicated'.
Now, the PAC headed by a Congress member has no dissent but only unanimity.
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