New Delhi, May 25
Objecting strongly to the inclusion of chargesheeted persons in the Union Cabinet, the BJP today threatened to launch an agitation and forcefully take up the issue in Parliament.
“The Congress has been taking a high moral stand that any person chargesheeted should not remain in the Cabinet. Now we would like to know why people like RJD Chief Laloo Yadav, Mohammad Taslimuddin, Jai Prakash Yadav and M.A. Fatimi have been included in ‘Dr Clean’ Manmohan Singh’s Cabinet?” BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad asked.
Stating that the BJP would take up the issue forcefully both inside and outside of Parliament, Mr Prasad wanted to know how the Left parties, who were supporting the government, could accept the inclusion of Mr Taslimuddin in the Cabinet, when he was made to quit the Deve Gowda government in 1996 because of his “criminal background”.
Former Union Law Minister Arun Jaitley said the Congress and the RJD could nor justify the opposition as a “political stunt” as criminal cases were registered against Laloo Prasad Yadav when the United Front government was at the Centre and the cases against Taslimuddin, Jai Prakash Yadav and Fatimi were registered during the RJD government in Bihar.
Mr Jaitley hoped that Dr Manmohan Singh, who is widely respected for his clean image, would look into the matter seriously and take necessary steps.
Mr Prasad said if he did not act then the BJP would be forced to take up the issue forcefully inside and outside of Parliament.
He pointed out that Laloo Prasad Yadav had been chargesheeted in four out of the six Fodder Scam cases.
The BJP also made a veiled attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for not asserting himself on the ministry allocation.
“It is understandable that there are teething troubles in coalition governments.
But the way the Congress and its allies have been behaving for the past five days in the run-up to the formation of ministries, there is clear indication that there are several power centres in the Congress-led alliance,” Mr Jaitley said.
“Cabinet formation is Prime Minister’s prerogative and in an alliance government the Prime Minister does hold discussion with its allies... there are some limitations, but this time those limitations have been broken,” he said while referring to DMK’s open demand for more ministries.
“One political party had produced a written agreement. We don’t know whether the Prime Minister was in knowledge of that or not and whether the rights of the Prime Minister are being exercised by others,” the BJP spokesperson said adding that Dr Manmohan Singh was a respectable person and they hope that he would maintain the dignity of Prime Minister’s Office.
