Congress stance ‘dangerous to democracy,' says Sushma

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, on Saturday said that what transpired at the recent meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) examining the 2G spectrum allocation scandal reminded her of the Emergency.

She told mediapersons here that every time an institution such as PAC attempted to function independent of the government, they (those in government) “first bully and then bulldoze it.”

Stating that the scene the Congress members created at the meeting was shameful and dangerous to democracy, she denied that PAC Chairman and BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi walked out of the meeting. He had adjourned the meeting as the Congress members created a ruckus.

On the allegation by Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily that Mr. Joshi himself had leaked the draft report to the media before it was discussed by PAC, she said Mr. Joshi had stated that a high-level inquiry be instituted to find out who leaked it to the press. The party was ready to face a privilege motion in this regard.

She said PAC had summoned the Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister but the Congress did not allow that. She maintained that the draft of the report was circulated to members more than a day before the meeting and denied that the party was in a hurry to get it approved.

“Vocal on corruption”

She said party president Nitin Gadkari had been very vocal on the corruption in the Karnataka government and denied that party was silent about it. Mr. Gadkari had said that no institution had indicted the State government, she said. Mere allegations that had come from the JD(S) and the Congress were not enough. On the party's image in Karnataka taking a severe beating, she said she could not say anything different from what the party president had stated already.