M A I N   N E W S

Katwal tape unspools blame game
Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 12
The “organised leak” of the much-publicised Katwal audio cassette has sparked off a controversy, with both Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, and Mr P.K. Dhumal, Leader of the Opposition, accusing each other of adopting double standards with regard to recruitments.

The audio cassette, which allegedly contains evidence to establish that Congress leaders, including Mr Virbhadra Singh, had been making recommendations to Mr S.M. Katwal while he was the Chairman of the state Subordinate Services Selection Board for selection of their favoured candidates, was made public a day after the government gave the nod to prosecute Mr Katwal. The latter had been booked by the Vigilance Department in connection with the recruitment scam.

Mr Katwal and some BJP leaders had been saying that the “explosive” cassette would be released at an appropriate time. Mr Katwal had been claiming that he had handed over a cassette to the Home Secretary, Mr Arvind Kaul, who, however, denied having received it. The Vigilance Department only last week asked Mr Katwal to hand over the tape.

The “expose” provided the much-needed ammunition to the BJP and it lost no time in demanding a CBI probe into the matter. A deputation led by Mr P.K. Dhumal, a former Chief Minister, met the Governor, Mr V.S. Kokje, at the Raj Bhavan here today, and submitted a memorandum in this regard. The party maintained that state investigating agencies were functioning under government pressure and now that Mr Virbhadra Singh had been himself put in the dock, there was no point in entrusting any agency of the state with the inquiry.

The party said Mr Virbhadra Singh had been in the habit of giving jobs “on chit” and this was well-established by the Harsh Gupta and Shukla committee reports, which probed such appointments made during the 1993-98 period. It said the audio cassette had revealed that he exerted pressure on officers for the selection of his favoured candidates even when he was not in power.

Mr Virbhadra Singh, on the other hand, termed the audio cassette as a deep-rooted conspiracy hatched by the BJP in connivance with Mr Katwal to malign him. It was only a continuation of his persecution by the previous Dhumal government, which tried to implicate him in false cases, he alleged. “Having failed in his attempts, Mr Dhumal has resorted to such tactics,” he said.

The Chief Minister said the allegation of interference in recruitments had come from a person who as Chief Minister had recommended over 3,000 names for appointment. He alleged that Mr Dhumal not only made recommendations but also “directed” that certain candidates should not be considered.

Mr Virbhadra Singh said the tape was doctored with evident interpolations and overlapping and maintained that he had not spoken to Mr Katwal for the past over two years. He said he spoke to Mr Katwal only twice while the latter was Chairman of the board — once to apprise him of complaints of favouritism in recruitments, and another time to give him particulars of two poor candidates who felt there was no point in going to Hamirpur for interview if the selections were fixed. Mr Virbhadra Singh said he did not even know whether the students went for the interview or not.

DHARAMSALA: Himachal Pradesh Transport Minister G.S. Bali on Friday criticised  Mr Katwal for releasing a tape with recording of conversation with Mr Virbhadra Singh and alleged that he was playing into the hands of “corrupt” BJP leaders.