Author: ET Bureau
Publication: The Economic Times
Date: January 28, 2011
URL: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/centre-lying-over-cvc-appointment-sushma-swaraj/articleshow/7376143.cms
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday
accused the government of lying before the Supreme Court that the high-powered
committee was not aware of the charges against PJ Thomas when it selected
him as Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC). Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj,
who was a member of the three-member panel, said she will approach the apex
court on the issue.
Reacting to the developments in the Supreme
Court, Swaraj said she had told the selection panel about the case against
Thomas. "I personally brought this fact to the notice of the prime minister
and home minister in the meeting itself even though they persisted with this
appointment," the BJP leader told reporters.
The BJP leader, who had given a dissent note
against the appointment of Thomas as CVC, said she has decided to file an
affidavit before the Supreme Court. "The government is speaking one untruth
after another. So I have decided to file a detailed affidavit on the issue,"
Swaraj said.
The BJP, which had boycotted Thomas' swearing-in
ceremony, brought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh into line of fire, saying
he was directly responsible for Thomas' appointment as CVC. The party said
the prime minister should spell out whether he was not aware of the criminal
case pending against Thomas.
"We want the prime minister (Manmohan
Singh) to tell the nation what he knew and how much. Don't you know how your
government works? You preside over an empire of scandals and corruption and
you say you don't know," BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said at a
press conference.
He said the government had never stated that
it was unaware of the pendency of prosecution against Thomas. The Supreme
Court's questioning of the government over Thomas' appointment as CVC has
reinforced the BJP's stand on the issue. Despite Swaraj opposing Thomas' name,
the committee gave its approval to his name. "After due consideration,
the majority of the Committee recommended the name of PJ Thomas for appointment
as CVC, with Sushma Swaraj recording the disagreement," the panel's official
note had said.
