The Congress on Monday raised the issues of probity, cleanliness, responsiveness and responsible governance in political conduct while handling the Shashi Tharoor issue and took the battle to the BJP camp accusing it of indulging in hypocrisy and doublespeak.
Lashing out at the BJP's allegation that the Prime Minister and the Congress had been slow and tardy in reacting to the alleged involvement of the former Union Minister, Shashi Tharoor, in the Kochi IPL issue, Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi stressed that it was never the idea to avoid or brush the issue under the carpet.
Outlining the considered and reasoned process adopted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to ascertain all aspects of the case, Mr. Singhvi said the BJP's allegations were untrue and laughable.
He said the decision taken was not a knee-jerk reaction but a mature one considering the picture in totality. Mr. Singhvi said the Prime Minister and the AICC president had favoured Mr. Tharoor's resignation from the Union Council of Ministers on moral grounds taking a prima facie view of the facts that they were credible enough for further investigation.
Mr. Singhvi, however, made it clear that the party was not concerned with issues of guilt or innocence which was for the judicial process to determine. He declined to disclose the reasons for calling for Mr. Tharoor's resignation saying they were part of an internal proceeding and confidential.
The Congress leader maintained that far from taking refuge in technicalities and judicial process and seeking an excuse to save anyone, the party had underlined its probity, cleanliness, its responsiveness and providing a responsible government through its action.
In contrast, he charged that the BJP indulged in hypocrisy and in negative reactions on such issues right from the George Fernandes' issue a few years ago, which had been captured on tape. Mr. Fernandes had not even offered to resign.
“Why Gadkari silent?”
He wondered at the silence that BJP chief Nitin Gadkari and the former Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, were maintaining on the “serious continuing corrupt practices” of a Cabinet Minister of the BJP in Karnataka where the facts were much more damaging.
Mr. Singhvi alleged that the most that these leaders said on the issue was that committees would be set up to enquire into the matter and took cover of the judicial process under way.
Asked whether the Congress would dare to drop the two Ministers of its ally who were also alleged to be involved with the IPL if charges cropped up against them, Mr. Singhvi said he would not comment on any non-Congress leader and underlined Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's statement that all aspects would be probed.
JPC probe demand
On the demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the IPL, the Congress spokesman said the party stood by the commitment made by Mr. Mukherjee and it was not for him to anticipate what decision Parliament would take on the issue.
On the other hand, the BJP reiterated its stand on illegal mining issue in Karnataka saying the matter was sub judice .
BJP deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde denied that the former Rajasthan Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje, had made any investment in IPL.
