Terming as 'totally untenable' former governor Romesh Bhandari's charge that a 'very close' associate of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was involved in the Iraqi oil scam, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday hit out at the Congress for giving credence to 'hearsay' and comparing it with the United Nations-appointed Paul Volcker report.
"On hearsay, such allegations are being made by Bhandari, who has changed his political affiliation several times. Why does he not name the person? The charges are totally wrong, untenable and condemnable. We reject them," senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh told reporters.
Condemning the attitude of Congress party, he said, "Rumours are being given importance and are being compared with an authorised report of the United Nations."
Singh, however, said the BJP had no problem if the ambit of the Justice R S Pathak Committee was widened to include the charges levelled by Bhandari.
"Let them inquire to satisfy themselves. We have no difficulty or hesitation, but to link it with Volcker would be an injustice," he said.
Singh also reiterated the party's demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the Volcker report and said it can choose all Indian entities, including 135-odd private companies, allegedly involved in the scam.
The leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha said the setting up of the JPC was justified, as the Pathak Panel was right now 'as good as non-functional' nor was it seized of the matter. "JPC is the easier way of getting to the root of the matter", he said.
Complete coverage: The Volcker Report