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Left parties on Thursday termed the Supreme Court verdict setting aside the appointment of P.J. Thomas as the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) “a serious indictment” of the United Progressive Alliance. It has exposed the Prime Minister and the government, they said.
In a statement, the Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said the apex court had stated that the high-powered panel headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did not consider the integrity aspect of the institution of the Central Vigilance Commission.
The manner in which the former Telecom Secretary was appointed as the CVC was directly related to how the UPA government handled the 2G spectrum scam, the statement said adding that Dr. Singh had reiterated in Parliament that there was nothing wrong with the telecom policy as such and only there were problems in implementation.
Blinkered vision
“With such a blinkered view, the appointment of P.J. Thomas, ignoring his record, is part of the piece,” the party said. With this judgment, the Prime Minister and the government, it said, stood exposed to the charge that they were not concerned with ensuring the integrity of the CVC or fighting corruption in high places.
The Communist Party of India said the verdict vindicated the stand taken by the Opposition parties. In a statement, the party's Central Secretariat said while Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj had objected to Mr. Thomas' appointment, the government went ahead ignoring all opposition. “Home Minister [P. Chidambaram], who justified his appointment despite the case pending against him and despite opposition from all quarters, must resign,” it said.
CPI Parliamentary Party leader Gurudas Dasgupta said the government should have terminated the services of Mr. Thomas when it was known his appointment would not stand judicial scrutiny. “This not only proves that the government is incompetent but also that it allowed other organs of the State to intervene in the work of the Executive.” His colleague, D. Raja, said both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister should own up the responsibility for the appointment since they were the only two who recommended it.
The All India Forward Bloc said the Prime Minister and the Home Minister should take moral responsibility for the severe criticism by the Supreme Court on the issue.
In a statement, party general secretary Debabrata Biswas said Left parties had objected to his appointment as CVC citing his alleged role as the Telecom Secretary in suppressing the 2G spectrum issue.
In a statement, the Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said the apex court had stated that the high-powered panel headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did not consider the integrity aspect of the institution of the Central Vigilance Commission.
The manner in which the former Telecom Secretary was appointed as the CVC was directly related to how the UPA government handled the 2G spectrum scam, the statement said adding that Dr. Singh had reiterated in Parliament that there was nothing wrong with the telecom policy as such and only there were problems in implementation.
Blinkered vision
“With such a blinkered view, the appointment of P.J. Thomas, ignoring his record, is part of the piece,” the party said. With this judgment, the Prime Minister and the government, it said, stood exposed to the charge that they were not concerned with ensuring the integrity of the CVC or fighting corruption in high places.
The Communist Party of India said the verdict vindicated the stand taken by the Opposition parties. In a statement, the party's Central Secretariat said while Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj had objected to Mr. Thomas' appointment, the government went ahead ignoring all opposition. “Home Minister [P. Chidambaram], who justified his appointment despite the case pending against him and despite opposition from all quarters, must resign,” it said.
CPI Parliamentary Party leader Gurudas Dasgupta said the government should have terminated the services of Mr. Thomas when it was known his appointment would not stand judicial scrutiny. “This not only proves that the government is incompetent but also that it allowed other organs of the State to intervene in the work of the Executive.” His colleague, D. Raja, said both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister should own up the responsibility for the appointment since they were the only two who recommended it.
The All India Forward Bloc said the Prime Minister and the Home Minister should take moral responsibility for the severe criticism by the Supreme Court on the issue.
In a statement, party general secretary Debabrata Biswas said Left parties had objected to his appointment as CVC citing his alleged role as the Telecom Secretary in suppressing the 2G spectrum issue.