NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister S.B.Chavan last week shocked the Rajya Sabha with his statement implying distinction between a Minister and the Ministry.
He was responding to a charge that his Ministry had closed down the Delhi Police cell, specially constituted to investigate and charge sheet the culprits for the massacres during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Chavan said “No such order has been brought to my notice. The Honorable member (IK, Gujral) has been in the Government and should make a distinction between the Minister and the Ministry,” to the House which reacted with disbelief to his disclosure. “But if any such order has been passed, we will quash the order,” he added. Chavan, who tried to deny knowledge of the order, was cornered by. LK. Gujral who quoted a newspaper report stating that the Delhi Police: had sought a six-month extension for the cell but since the Home Ministry did not permit it, the police was forced to close it down. The matter was raised by Congress member Bhupinder Sigh Mann and his party colleague Iqbal Singh, apart from nearly the entire Opposition, as soon as the Zero Hour commenced. Chavan, also the Leader of the House, was not present, when Mann, and others raised the issue and sought an immediate reaction from the Government. Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptullah tried to pacify them, saying she was personally seized of the matter and would convey it to the Home Minister. Opposition leader Sikander Bakht supported by party colleagues then demanded an adjournment of the House when Chavan entered the House. S.S, Ahluwalia made a feeble effort to save the situation for the Government by asking the Chair to a lot time to discuss the matter in detail. Chavan, promptly declared that since his assumption of office he was not aware of such a cell, and if it was ‘outside his Ministry’s purview then He had not issued any orders for closing down any cell, “If such a cell has been closed down, we will ask them to reopen it,” he said.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 11, 1995
