NEW DELHI: The Congress (I) and Janta Party members in the upper house on Monday took strong objection to Prime Minister V.P Singh talking about the Bofors issue to newsmen when Parliament is in session.

Raising the matter during zero hour, they demanded the Prime Minister make a statement on the issue in the house.

While flying back from Ahmedabad on Saturday, Singh ahd told newsmen and replied to their queries on a news item published in a Bombay newspaper allegedly linking the involvement of Commerce Minister Arun Nehru in the Bofors deal.

Raising the matter during zero hour, the senior Congress (I) member, A.G. Kulkarni, said a statement from the government on recent revelation about the Bofors was necessary because a confusion had been created by what was being published in the newspapers.

He said a “proxy war” was going on in the newspapers, and this had created “unnecessary suspense” in the minds of the people.

Supporting Kulkarni, Dr Subramanian Swamy (Janta Party) said in the latest news item, a minister’s name had been mentioned. ‘Therefore, it was necessary that the Prime Minister should make the statement, he said.

Article extracted from this publication >> September 14, 1990