Why has Congress been let off: BJP

The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, on Thursday night, questioned Justice Pathak Committee's decision to exonerate Congress, wondering how could the ruling party be given a clean chit in a matter which indicted one of its leaders.

"On what basis was a carte blanche given that Congress had no role to play," BJP spokesman Ravishankar Prasad asked while reacting to the Committee's report handed over to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

He said the Volcker panel on UN oil-for-food scam had mentioned both K Natwar Singh, former external affairs minister, and the Congress party as 'non-contractual beneficiaries'.

"Had the Pathak Committee sought the views of the Congress party or did it issue notices to the party," he asked.

Congress, on the other hand, hailed the report, which indicted the former external affairs minister and his MLA son Jagat Singh in the scam, indicating that action would follow after studying the findings.

"The report is there for anyone to see. It is a very high-powered commission chaired by a former Chief Justice of India which went into the facts and records and said what it has to say," party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi told PTI.

Outside supporters of the United Progressive Alliance coalition, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Communist Party of India, declined immediate comment, saying they would do so after 'studying the report'.