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Congress demands JPC probe into Bhagwat's charges

The Opposition mounted a fresh offensive against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led ruling coalition in the Lok Sabha today when the Congress demanded that a joint parliamentary committee be constituted to probe the corruption charges levelled by former naval chief Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat in defence deals.

However, Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani left it to Speaker G M C Balayogi to decide as to how the sensitive matter could be handled.

After hour-long submissions during zero hour on the issue, marked by noisy scenes with the entire Opposition taking the government to task for keeping the House in the dark on the 'sensitive issue,' the Speaker said he would take a decision on admitting the motion on the issue after consulting the floor leaders of political parties today.

Amid interruption by the ruling party members, Congress member Kamal Nath demanded that a JPC be constituted. The other Opposition leaders, including former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, demanded that the House discuss the circumstances leading to the dismissal of the former naval chief.

Balayogi said he had also sought a report in this regard from the defence ministry as also the status of the three public interest ligitations filed in the Bombay and Delhi high courts in this regard.

Earlier the Speaker had allowed several Opposition and ruling party members to make brief submissions on the notices they had served in favour of a censure motion or a general discussion on the subject.

Advani said while he agreed with the Opposition that important issues concerning the nation should be discussed by Parliament, the special circumstances involving the defence forces should be noted before making this demand.

Stressing that the issue should not be discussed in public, Advani said as a matter of convention the members had imposed self-restaint so that the defence forces remain apolitical. He said unlike some of our neighbouring countries where the defence forces intermingle with politics, India had a proud record.

He, however, felt the consultation exercise Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had with floor leaders of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha last week could be undertaken in the Lok Sabha as well (Vajpayee held informal consultations with leaders of Opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha when he is understood to have emphasised the need for not going public in Admiral Bhagwat episode. The prime minister is also understood to have shared some sensitive matters connected with the dismissal of the former naval chief including the charges he had levelled against Defence Minister George Fernandes with the Opposition leaders).

Refuting the contention of the government, Deve Gowda made it clear that the intention of the Opposition was not to damage the image of the defence forces but to emphasise the right of the members to know the truth.

Fernandes had gone whole hog in defending his action through the electronic and print media while the former naval chief had addressed a media conference. The members of Parliament, therefore, have a right to know the circumstances leading to the sack, he said.

Referring to Fernandes's charge that Admiral Bhagwat posed a security threat, Deve Gowda said he as the then prime minister had appointed Admiral Bhagwat as the naval chief. During his stint as prime minister or when I K Gujral succeeded him, they had received no report either from the Research and Analysis Wing or the Intelligence Bureau to corroborate the defence minister's charge.

If the defence minister has any fresh revelations about Bhagwat's conduct he should make it public, he said adding in that event he owed an apology to the nation (for having appointed him).

Earlier, the House witnessed noisy scenes for over 15 minutes when the angry Samata Party members Prabhunath Singh, Digvijay Singh and Lalmuni Choubey (BJP) raised a point of order and attempted to block the proceedings.

Balayogi named Prabhunath Singh twice and warned of severe action against him if he continued to block the proceedings. An exasperated Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Somnath Chatterjee at one stage said, ''When the ruling party members were obstructing the proceedings, it was sad that senior ministers were passive spectators.''

Advani, thereafter, waved his hands to signal the ruling party members to remain quiet. Parliamentary Affairs Minister P R Kumaramangalam was also seen moving to the treasury benches in a bid to restrain them.

Balayogi also made it clear that he had not allowed a discussion on the issue but had permitted only a brief reference.

When he called Communist Party of India member Inderjit Gupta to raise the issue, Congress member Kamal Nath protested that as a main Opposition party member he should have been called first. Balaygogi said Gupta is the 'father of the House' and hence he chose to call him first.

In his submission, Gupta demanded a comprehensive discussion on the dismissal of the former naval chief which he described as unprecedented and said Parliament cannot be kept in the dark about the episode.

UNI

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