Govt engulfed by Natwar storm

NEW DELHI: The third week of the monsoon session of Parliament got off to a tumultuous start with a charged-up Opposition stalling proceedings in the two Houses over the Pathak authority report’s leak and the clean chit given to the Congress.

The controversial report, alongwith the ATR, were, expectedly, tabled in the two Houses —in the Lok Sabha, by union finance minister P Chidambaram, and, in the Rajya Sabha, by his deputy P K Bansal— amidst uproarious scenes, with the BJP and its allies railing against the ruling coalition over the leakage and the reprieve granted to the Congress party.

Opposition leaders were quick to describe the report, as well as the ATR, as a sham, produced to protect the Congress. The latter too had been named as a beneficiary of the Iraqi oil-for-food programme, but had been ‘let off’ on the grounds that “there was not a shred of evidence to link the party to the said transactions.”

Mr Natwar Singh, on the other hand, stood implicated for “influencing and facilitating” the execution of the oil contracts.. The ATR, while accepting the report’s conclusions, referred it to three investigative agencies —the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Board of Directed Taxes (CBDT) and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) for a more detailed examination and follow-up action.

While no business could be transacted in the Upper House, the Lok Sabha fared a little better, with the Banking Companies and Financial Institutions (Amendment) Bill getting its nod, and another bill being introduced, amidst the din after the House assembled for the third time during the day.

With the NDA members unrelenting in their assault, resorting to slogans specifically targeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi and seeking an apology from the prime minister, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee had no option but to adjourn the House for the day at 2.35 pm.

Similar scenes were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha, with the treasury benches making a determined bid to stop Mr Natwar Singh from presenting his side of the story on the breach of privilege motion moved by him against the prime minister over the leakage of the Pathak authority report even before it could be tabled in Parliament.

Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who said that privilege notices served by Mr Natwar Singh and also by the AIADMK, TDP and the Samajwadi Party, were under his consideration, had to adjourn the House after the two sides showed no signs of backing off. The Opposition, which has pounced on the report to put the ruling coalition on the mat, is likely to keep up the heat on the issue in the coming days.

While the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Rajya Sabha Chairman are seized of the privilege notices, the BJP and its allies are now likely to train their guns on the Congress and its president. The slogans raised by the Opposition on the floor of the two Houses summed up their belligerence: “Ab to ye spasht hai, Sonia Gandhi bhrasht hai; Gali, Gali me shor hai, Sonia Gandhi chor hai; Congress ghabrai hai, tel dalali khai hai; Sonia ko bachaya, Natwar ko phasaya.’’

Attacking Natwar Singh for moving a breach of privilege against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the government on Monday said it was “unbecoming” on the part of the former external affairs minister, but suggested that Congress axe could fall on him only after the motion was disposed off.

Agitated over the political storm over the leakage of the Pathak Inquiry report, it also dismissed Opposition charges that the prime minister or his office had leaked the Pathak report. Meanwhile, Mr Singh seems to be striking the right notes in his wooing of the Left.

Spouting anti-American sentiments, the Congress leader is castigating the Indo-US nuclear deal, the Iran vote and the ‘pro-US’ foreign policy. The Left, obviously, seems ready to tango with him. Mr Singh has even started a whisper campaign that the Manmohan Singh government, at Washington’s behest, was targeting him for taking an anti-US stand.

Like the Left, he suspects foul play in the Indo-US nuclear deal and feels it is against India’s interests, like the Marxist parties, Mr Singh opposed the Iran vote, and in tandem with them, is alleging that the UPA government has gone soft on the US and is diluting India’s non-aligned policy.

Mr Singh, who has been meeting leaders of the CPM and CPI in a bid to get their backing on his privilege notice against the PM, is alleging a conspiracy against him by some senior ministers, and is claiming that his name was included in the Volcker report much later.