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PM says no to JPC probe in Judeo case
Rajeev Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 11
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today took the Opposition to task for what he called ‘unfair criticism’ of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Judeo case and said there was no need for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe into this issue as any JPC would have to rely on the CBI only for any inquiry.

It was a vintage Atal Bihari Vajpayee who put his legendary parliamentary and oratory skills to the defence of the CBI and faced the periodic uproars from the Opposition and subtle attacks from Mr Somnath Chatterjee (CPM) with elan.

The Prime Minister said he had been an MP for over 50 years and he had never seen reputation of institutions like the CBI coming under such a systematic attack as the Opposition was doing now in case of the CBI.

‘‘Is there any other organisation apart from the CBI? Do we want to create other such agencies? Why such an organised campaign against the CBI? Tomorrow you may come back to power. Don’t condemn the CBI like this.’’

Mr Vajpayee, while replying to a discussion on his statement made in the Lok Sabha yesterday, said criticism of institutions like the CBI to some extent was tolerable but it should not begin with the presumption that the investigating agency lacked credibility and was playing a partisan role.

He regretted the Opposition’s attack on the CBI and its statements accusing the Centre of adopting double standards in the Jogi and Judeo cases. ‘‘The CBI, as an institution, has been discharging its duties sincerely and its credibility should not be questioned.’’

On the Opposition’s demand for a JPC probe into the Judeo case, Mr Vajpayee said the demand was neither necessary nor justified and amounted to denigrating the role of the CBI.

‘‘I have been a member of so many JPCs and also the Chairman. I have seen how JPCs function. Any JPC in this case also will have to depend on the CBI only for investigations,’’ the Prime Minister said and then, in a dig on Mr Somnath Chatterjee, said ‘‘Somnathji, you know this. You have been the chairman of a parliamentary committee and you ran into problems.’’

The Prime Minister said he had seen the video cassette showing former union minister Dilip Singh Judeo taking bribe and said the cassette was ‘very dim’. He listed several questions which were still unanswered: Who had given the money? What was his identity? Why he gave the money? What happened to the money? What favours did he receive in lieu of the money offered?

The Jogi episode expectedly came up during the Prime Minister’s reply when he said: ‘‘I have been accused of double standards. Which double standards? Can’t you see Jogi peeping out from behind the curtains?’’

At one stage, Mr Chatterjee asked the Prime Minister: ‘‘Are you comfortable?’’ and suggested that he knew that he (the PM) was not while defending Mr Judeo.

The Prime Minister sat down after his reply and remained seated for some time despite tens of agitated members shouting at top of their voices.

Expectedly, he was asked a penetrating question from the Congress benches to explain why the government was proceeding at a slow pace in the Judeo case even after 24 days of the case coming out in the open as against the super-fast speed with which investigations in the Ajit Jogi case had progressed.

The Prime Minister was gracious enough to respond to the clarification sought and said: ‘‘The two cases are different. Everything was clear in Jogi’s case. The money has been deposited at the police station. In Judeo case, what happened to the money? Where did it go?’’

Mr Vajpayee added that the government did not have any ill-will in the Jogi case.

Walkout over Prasad’s remarks
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 11
Opposition members, led by the Congress, today forced the adjournment of the Rajya Sabha in protest against the “wrong reference” to Congress President Sonia Gandhi by Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad during the debate on the Judeo tapes. The House was first adjourned for half an hour and later for the day.

Congress members said Mr Prasad, during the debate in the Rajya Sabha on Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s statement on the Dilip Singh Judeo bribery scandal, had remarked that former Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Mr Ajit Jogi, was expelled since he referred to Mrs Gandhi in the tapes. Vehemently contesting Mr Prasad’s remarks, the Congress members said either the minister should substantiate his remarks or tender an apology for misleading the House.