BJP questions PM’s integrity
Welcoming the Supreme Court’s judgment quashing Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) P.J. Thomas’s appointment to the post, the main Opposition BJP asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to “introspect” whether he was “misled or allowed himself to be misled” on Mr Thomas’ appointment.
The party added that in either case the “accountability has to be fixed.” The BJP said the Prime Minister is “morally responsible” for the Supreme Court ruling. The party however, refrained from demanding Prime Minister’s resignation on the issue.
The Left parties termed the judgment as “another serious blow” to the UPA government which is already facing major corruption cases.
Meanwhile, the Congress dubbed as an “error” the Mr Thomas’s appointment but rejected demands for Prime Minister and home minister P. Chidambaram’s resignation in the wake of the apex court quashing Mr Thomas’s appointment to the post.
BJP parliamentary party chairman L.K. Advani said, “In the last 60 years, it has never happened that an appointment made by the Prime Minister himself has been declared illegal by the Supreme Court. The PM is morally responsible for it.”
Speaking on the issue, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley said, “Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj has vindicated herself by expressing dissent (on Thomas’ appointment). The responsibility lies with the Prime Minister and the home minister. The PM should introspect on whether he was misled or allowed himself to be misled.” Mr Jaitley said the person occupying the CVC post should have a “spotless record”.
Ms Swaraj was one of the three members in the panel, headed by the Prime Minister, to chose the Chief Vigilance Commissioner and had given her dissent on the selection of Mr Thomas’s name for the post.
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