Govt not to delete Rajiv's name
Tribune News Service and UNI

NEW DELHI, Nov 29 — The Centre today rejected the Congress demand to delete the name of late Rajiv Gandhi from the Bofors charge sheet on a day when the party held a mass rally in the Capital on the issue.

The Congress launched a concerted bid to rake up the issue on the opening day of the winter session of Parliament both in the House — but did not have proper coordination there — and outside.

The Union Home Minister, Mr L. K. Advani, who had promised to do whatever was appropriate with regard to the Congress demand during the previous session, today read out the opinion of the Attorney-General obtained by the government.

As per the advice, the suggestion that the government withdraw the case against Rajiv Gandhi under Section 321 of the Criminal Procedure Code was "entirely misconceived" and that in the Attorney-General’s opinion it was not open to the government to direct or seek from the investigating agency deletion of the name of one of the accused in column two.

The Home Minister also said the allegations that some people were being spared in the Bofors investigations were "entirely unfounded" and the question of government sparing anybody did not arise.

"The CBI has the freedom to file supplementary charge sheet as and when documentary evidence against other persons mentioned in the FIR is received. The question of government sparing anybody does not arise," he said.

The Congress members were not satisfied with the Home Minister’s statement with the Chief Whip, Mr Priyaranjan Dasmunshi and senior leader, Mr Rajesh Pilot, wanting to know about the government’s opinion on it.

The party MPs, who were apparently preparing to stage a walkout, lost out as the Speaker, Mr G.M.C. Balayogi, adjourned the House for lunch. The Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, had left the House just before the start of Zero Hour, during which Mr Dasmunshi raised the issue.

However, the party was able to register its protest in the Rajya Sabha, where the Leader of the Opposition, Dr Manmohan Singh, raised the issue through a special mention. The External Affairs Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, read out the Attorney-General’s opinion, after which the Congress members staged a walkout.

Later in a chat with correspondents the Prime Minister said the legal provisions cited for the deletion of Rajiv Gandhi’s name did not apply because neither was the former Prime Minister named as an accused nor was there going to be any trial against him.

Meanwhile, the Congress today described the naming of Rajiv Gandhi in column two of the charge sheet as an act of "political vendetta" and said that it would fight the issue politically.

Briefing correspondents, the party spokesman, Mr Ajit Jogi said that the Congress did not agree with the government opinion that the State cannot advise the prosecuting agency, but parried questions on whether in its opinion the Attorney-General’s advice was not correct.

To a question whether the Congress would bargain by holding out on support to crucial Bills, the party spokesman said there would be "no bargain".

Meanwhile, the BJP today expressed the hope that the Congress would not become a "stumbling block" in ushering in the second phase of economic reforms and passage of various legislative measures aimed at fulfilling the promises made to the people during the elections.

Reacting to the Congress members' walkout from the Rajya Sabha insisting that Rajiv Gandhi’s name be deleted from the Bofors charge sheet, the BJP spokesman, Mr M. Venkaiah Naidu said, "unfortunately, the Congress is trying to link up the charge sheet issue with economic reforms and legislative measures. These have nothing in common".

Economic issues were non-partisan as they affected the developmental programmes, economy of the nation and international commitments. "We have to rise above partisan issues to come in line with the WTO regulations", he added.

The government has made it clear that no one would be served a charge sheet with political motivations. It had taken the Attorney-General’s opinion on whether Rajiv Gandhi’s name could be dropped. The AG’s opinion was clear — that the government had no authority to delete any name from the charge sheet.

In a related development, a meeting of the general body of the Congress Parliamentary Party has been called here tomorrow, a day after opening of the winter session of Parliament.
Party President Sonia Gandhi, who is also the CPP Chairperson, will address the meeting. The meeting is being held in the backdrop of Government’s rejection of party’s demand for deletion of Rajiv Gandhi’s name from the Bofors chage sheet.

Bofors: Cong men hold rally
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 29 — The Congress today warned the BJP-led NDA government of a "nationwide agitation" if late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s name was not deleted from the Bofors charge sheet.

Addressing a rally in the Capital to protest against the "politically motivated" inclusion of former Premier’s name in the charge sheet, senior Congress leaders, and AICC and CWC members demanded that the government should delete their leader’s name immediately. The rally started from Feroze Shah Kotla Grounds and ended at Bhagwan Dass Road, where rallyists were addressed by Chief Ministers and chiefs of the Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs).

However, Congress President Sonia Gandhi was not present at the rally.

A delegation of the CWC members met the President, Mr K.R. Narayanan, and submitted a memorandum.

Mr Madhav Rao Scindia, CWC member and deputy leader of the party in Lok Sabha, said: "We demand that while the case be carried to its logical conclusion against the accused against whom the CBI has evidence, the name of Mr Rajiv Gandhi should be deleted immediately. A nationwide agitation would be launched if the government does not concede our demand."

He said the government could not hope for cooperation from the Congress, while displaying such petty-mindedness.

Mr Scindia charged the government of dragging Mr Rajiv Gandhi’s name as an accused in the Rs 64-crore case with "political motives." "The charge sheet does not contain any prima facie evidence against Mr Rajiv Gandhi," he asserted.

Referring to Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee’s statement on Sunday that the government could not direct the CBI to delete Mr Rajiv Gandhi’s name from the charge sheet, Mr Scindia said there was a precedence, when the Baroda dynamite case against Mr George Fernandes was withdrawn following written instructions from the government."

Haryana PCC chief Bhupinder Singh Hooda said none of the documents placed by the CBI indicated the involvement of Mr Rajiv Gandhi in the case.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit accused the government of raking up the Bofors issue because Mrs Sonia Gandhi was the Congress Chief.

Meanwhile, most of persons participating in the rally drew a blank on being asked why the Congress rally was being held and looked at each other for an answer.

The conspicuous absence of Mrs Sonia Gandhi was felt by party workers, who were otherwise hesitant to voice their displeasure.

A sizeable number of Congress leaders from Punjab attended the rally.

Mr Avtar Singh Sidhu, Muktsar DCC chief, agreed that the presence of Mrs Gandhi would have created the right impact at the rally.

Congress MP from Phillaur and member of the Congress introspection committee Santosh Chowdhary said, the attempt to defame Mr Rajiv Gandhi was a mischief by the ruling party.

Asked whether Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s presence at the rally would have created the desired impact, Mrs Chowdhary said, "The Congress Chief was represented by workers and persons who participated in the rally. The rally was not called by Mrs Gandhi. It is a voluntary gesture of the Congress workers."

Mr Jagjit Singh, leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, said people were angry over the inclusion of Mr Rajiv Gandhi’s name in the Bofors charge sheet.

Prominent among those present at the rally were Pradesh Congress Committee President, Amarinder Singh and All-India Youth Congress chief, Manish Tiwari.