NEW DELHI: The Congress has begun lobbying for revision in the draft report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the securities scam finding the document too hot for the Narasimha Rao Government as senior Cabinet ministers and several minifies stand severely indicted in the report.
The orchestrated campaign which began inside the JPC on Thursday for dilution of the draft JPC report was carried on outside with Murli Deora, a JPC member and president of the Bombay Pradesh Congress Committee, stating that the ruling party members would propose “substantial changes” in the draft report.
“We are studying the report which is only a draft made by a few members of the BJP. We will propose a change especially relating to the indictment of the Finance Minister Manmohan Singh,” he said, Obviously, the draft report has hit the Rao Government where it hurts most by passing strictures against Manmohan Singh, the author of economic reforms and the liberalization policy.
The draft JPC report which has observed that “the Finance Minis try could have exercised much closer supervision of the entire securities and banking transactions” has found to be harsh and unfair on Manmohan Singh by the Congress members of the JPC. Maintaining that the draft reports uncharitable on Manmohan Singh they pointed out that even come off the cuff observations made by the Finance Minister had come in for criticism by the JPC.
The problem with the Congress is that the drafting committee of the JPC consists of five members out of which only two are from the Congress including the chairman Ram Niwas Mirdha. Three are from the Opposition parties’ one each belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party. Janata Dal and the CPM. There is nothing that the Congress could do about changing the complexion of the drafting committee which has finished its job at this stage. Sources in Opposition parties when informed about Deora’s statement expressed surprise at the conduct of the ruling party members but said they had total faith to the working of the JPC and Ram Niwas Mirdha, its chairman. “We will cross the bridge when it comes”, said a member. As part of campaign, Deora hosted a dinner meeting of the Congress members and issued a statement that they would demand a change in the draft on the portion relating role of Manmohan Singh. “It would be very unwise to destabilize Manmohan Singh at this stage”, he said. The Congress dis comfiture on the Criticism of Manmohan Singh is understand able as the Finance Ministry hap pens to be the nodal ministry with regard to the stock market and the banking sector, Manmohan Singh will be held accountable for the scam if the final JPG report indicts him too. Opposition parties have already begun mounting building pressure on the Government to sack Manmohan Singh.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 9, 1993
