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New Delhi : Former Telecom Secretary P J Thomas was today sworn in as the new Central Vigilance Commissioner.
He was administered the oath of office by President Pratibha Devisingh Patil at a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Mr Thomas is a 1973 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre.
He has succeeded Mr Pratyush Sinha, a 1969 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre, who demitted office yesterday after a four-year tenure as the CVC.
Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Home Minister P Chidambaram, Law Minister M Veerappa Moily, Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah and Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar were among those present at the swearing-in ceremony.
Significantly, the BJP has raised objections against appointment of Mr Thomas as CVC alleging that he had a tainted background.
Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, who was part of three-member selection committee, had given 'dissent note' on the selection of Mr Thomas on the ground that he had a hand in the 'cover up' of the 2G spectrum scam.
The Prime Minister and the Congress, however, have defended Mr Thomas as the new CVC.
The Prime Minister had said that appointment of Mr Thomas was the right thing saying, ''We have chosen the best candidate out of the list of three.' The Congress had launched a counter offensive against BJP for opposing the appointment of Mr Thomas saying that the opposition was trying to exercise veto power and by criticising the incumbent CVC it was ''denigrating, devaluing and demeaning the institutions.'' Reacting to the BJP criticism that Mr Thomas's appointment was to 'cover up' the 2G spectrum scam, Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi had said instead of involving in well meaning bonafide consultation, BJP was trying to arrogate the veto power and make CVC a person of their choice.
Defending Mr Thomas, Mr Singhvi said the bureaucrat had blemishless record and even if there was charges he has been exonerated.
Terming the decision ''shocking and unacceptable to the BJP'', party spokesman Tarun Vijay had lambasted the government for taking the decision as Mr Thomas' name had figured in a vigilance inquiry and a probe into a palm oil import scandal when he was Kerala food secretary. He had also seen CVC reports on the 2G spectrum controversy as telecom secretary, and would thus lead to a conflict of interest.
'Immediately after the Commonwealth Games, all the alleged financial irregularities will be inquired by the CVC,' Mr Vijay pointed out.
Home Minister P Chidambaram, meanwhile, had argued that Mr Thomas's name had been cleared in the probe, and that he had joined the telecom ministry only last October, and would thus have no conflict of interest on the 2G spectrum.
--UNI
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Mr Thomas is a 1973 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre.
He has succeeded Mr Pratyush Sinha, a 1969 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre, who demitted office yesterday after a four-year tenure as the CVC.
Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Home Minister P Chidambaram, Law Minister M Veerappa Moily, Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah and Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar were among those present at the swearing-in ceremony.
Significantly, the BJP has raised objections against appointment of Mr Thomas as CVC alleging that he had a tainted background.
Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, who was part of three-member selection committee, had given 'dissent note' on the selection of Mr Thomas on the ground that he had a hand in the 'cover up' of the 2G spectrum scam.
The Prime Minister and the Congress, however, have defended Mr Thomas as the new CVC.
The Prime Minister had said that appointment of Mr Thomas was the right thing saying, ''We have chosen the best candidate out of the list of three.' The Congress had launched a counter offensive against BJP for opposing the appointment of Mr Thomas saying that the opposition was trying to exercise veto power and by criticising the incumbent CVC it was ''denigrating, devaluing and demeaning the institutions.'' Reacting to the BJP criticism that Mr Thomas's appointment was to 'cover up' the 2G spectrum scam, Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi had said instead of involving in well meaning bonafide consultation, BJP was trying to arrogate the veto power and make CVC a person of their choice.
Defending Mr Thomas, Mr Singhvi said the bureaucrat had blemishless record and even if there was charges he has been exonerated.
Terming the decision ''shocking and unacceptable to the BJP'', party spokesman Tarun Vijay had lambasted the government for taking the decision as Mr Thomas' name had figured in a vigilance inquiry and a probe into a palm oil import scandal when he was Kerala food secretary. He had also seen CVC reports on the 2G spectrum controversy as telecom secretary, and would thus lead to a conflict of interest.
'Immediately after the Commonwealth Games, all the alleged financial irregularities will be inquired by the CVC,' Mr Vijay pointed out.
Home Minister P Chidambaram, meanwhile, had argued that Mr Thomas's name had been cleared in the probe, and that he had joined the telecom ministry only last October, and would thus have no conflict of interest on the 2G spectrum.
--UNI
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