Rajya Sabha Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat on Wednesday rejected a privilege motion against Leader of the Opposition Jaswant Singh for having placed on record a 'purportedly forged' communication between two United States officials on the issue of the mole in the Prime Minister's Office, withholding consent on the issue.
Jaswant Singh had on August one, placed on record a copy of the correspondence between former US Ambassador to India Harry Barnes and Senator Thomas Graham about a mole in the PMO, which he had mentioned in his book A Call to Honour. However, Barnes on August two denied having anything to do with the letter.
Immediately after the Question Hour ended, the Chairman said he had received from V Narayanasamy (Congress) and other members a notice under Rule 188 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Rajya Sabha to raise the privilege question against Jaswant Singh for having placed on record a purportedly forged letter and thereby misleading the House over the issue.
"I do not consider it to be a fit case to be raised as a matter of breach of privilege. I, therefore, withhold my consent," the Chairman observed.
The Chairman observed that in his letter on August 10, offering comments on the notice, Jaswant Singh said he 'stands by his statement in the House on August one' that the letter was written by Graham to Barnes, that the copy of the letter was given to him and that it was not forged by him.
Jaswant Singh had also authenticated the copy of the letter for being placed on the Table of the House.
The Chairman said the basis of the notice was merely a newspaper report. The comments offered by Jaswant Singh clearly revealed that the newspaper report was not based on substantiated facts.
"This case, therefore, highlights an important lesson that greater care, caution and prudence must be exercised in such a serious matter when relying on media reports," the Chairman added.
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