Battered from all sides for its decision to appoint tainted bureaucrat P.J. Thomas as central vigilance commissioner, the government on Friday tried to salvage itself by asking the CVC to resign on his own. But Mr Thomas refused to oblige, saying that “resigning at this stage” would leave him “tainted”. A rehabilitation package too was offered to him, but he refused to accept it, government sources said.
Very few options are now available to the government, and even a presidential reference (for his removal) — action such as that taken against Prasar Bharti chief executive B.S. Lalli — cannot be taken against Mr Thomas as he has not done anything wrong as CVC, sources said. The only way left is to wait for the final pronouncement of the Supreme Court in the matter.
Conceding that its options are limited following the intense scrutiny by the Supreme Court in the matter, government sources said the Centre would not be able to initiate the process of his removal through a presidential reference to the Supreme Court when the court is already seized of the matter.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met his senior Cabinet colleague, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, during the day and discussed various aspects relating to the CVC. Details of the meeting could not be ascertained as all those with knowledge of what transpired remained tightlipped.
An embarrassed Congress Party, sensing that the trouble had become too deep and big for the party to defend, tried to distance itself from the decision to appoint Mr Thomas as CVC. It claimed the matter was sub judice and was between the government and the Supreme Court, so the party has nothing to say.
“Why you are asking the Congress? It was not the decision of the Congress Party. A panel of three eminent persons decided to appoint him. Why ask the Congress? It is a matter between the government and the court,” said AICC spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed. He faced a barrage of questions on the issue a day after the government appeared to have tied itself in knots in the Supreme Court on Mr Thomas’ appointment as CVC.
It had told the court that a corruption case against Mr Thomas had not placed before the three-member selection panel headed by the Prime Minister, a claim that was contested by the BJP, which termed it as an “untruth”.
“Who am I to say that (the appointment) is still tenable? It is for the court and the government... The matter is sub judice. A daily running commentary on what has happened in the court is neither good for the judiciary nor for justice,” Mr Ahmed said.
Sources in the Congress said the party would like Mr Thomas to resign on his own as CVC. The other good option for the party would be for the court to hold his appointment as “untenable” or if it asked the government to start the process for his removal, the sources added.
Stepping up the BJP’s attack on the government on the issue, senior party leader L.K. Advani said Mr Thomas should not have been chosen for the post as he had cases pending against him. “This controversy had started even when I was Leader of the Opposition... Wherever there was this (provision) that the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha was there in the panel with the government, they used to give only one name. I told them I would not accept (this) unless you give a panel (of names),” Mr Advani said.
The senior BJP leader maintained that in the case of Mr Thomas’ appointment as CVC, the government tried to do the same thing by insisting on his name there being a panel of three candidates. “Sushmaji said she would not accept his name as there was a case against him, and the CBI is investigating... How can we appoint him when a case is pending against him? She said: ‘I do not know the other two names you (the government) have given, but I have no objection if you accept any of the two’,” said Mr Advani.