Govt challenges Oppn to debate

New Delhi, December 12, 2001.
Terming the adjournment forced by the Opposition in both Houses of Parliament for the second consecutive day today as “unjustified”, the Vajpayee government today challenged the Opposition to have a “threadbare” debate on the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report on the coffins purchase issue.

“I am making a direct charge against the Opposition. They would not stand any where if it was discussed in Parliament threadbare,” Law Minister Arun Jaitley, who was shouted down by Opposition members in the Lok Sabha today, told newspersons.

Criticising the Opposition for not allowing the proceedings in both Houses of Parliament for the past two days, Mr Jaitley accused the opposition of jumping into conclusion “merely on the basis of a preliminary report submitted by the CAG, which has not been dealt with by Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC).”

“There was a constitutional mechanism for the follow up of the CAG report which has to be dealt with by the PAC. Once the PAC takes it up and gives its comment it could be debated in Parliament, he added.

Stating that the PAC was headed by none other than a member from the Congress, Mr Jaitley said “the Opposition should have waited for the committee’s observations. Still if it wanted a debate in Parliament, the government was ready for it.”

Strongly defending Mr George Fernandes and pooh-poohing the Opposition demand for his resignation, the Law Minister said it was Mr Fernandes who had voluntarily referred all defence purchases made during the Kargil conflict to the PAC.

In fact the process of going in for purchase of aluminium caskets had begun in 1995 when Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav was the Defence Minister.”

“The report also had not made any remark against Mr Fernandes,” he said to buttress his arguments against Opposition’s demand for the Defence Minister’s scalp.