I will answer Bhushan's notice in court: Digvijay Singh

[1]

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh said on Thursday that he will answer Lokpal bill drafting committee co-chair Shanti Bhushan's defamation notice in court.

“I have taken many such notices in my political life, I will reply to it only in court,” Digvijay Singh told a press conference here. He added that he had not yet received Shanti Bhushan's notice. Former law minister Shanti Bhushan on Wednesday served a legal notice on Digvijay Singh, demanding a public apology for alleging he had undervalued a property in Allahabad and not paid adequate stamp duty on it.

The defamation notice said Digvijay Singh had given a television interview and cast aspersions on Bhushan's integrity. “If Shanti Bhushan has to file a defamation suit, he should file it against the official who sent him the notice or on Mayawati whose government issued the notice,” Digvijay Singh said. He also attacked the Bhushans on the row over a CD that purportedly has Shanti Bhushan speaking to Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and his former confidant Amar Singh. The Bhushans said the CD is fake.

“This is a new trend, if there is a blame on (Karnataka chief minister) Yeddyurappa, they say we have done the probe; similarly Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan probed the CD themseves and said the CD is fake,” he said.

“The Congress is fighting against corruption, but only Lokpal bill will not solve the problem. The people who have more property than their income should be brought to book, whether it is Mulayam Singh or Mayawati." The 10-member committee to draft a more stringent Lokpal (ombudsman) bill to fight corruption was set up following a fast-unto-death by social reformer Anna Hazare. Both Shanti Bhushan and his son lawyer son Prashant are members of the panel.