PTI, Jun 18, 2010, 11.58am IST
WASHINGTON: Congress party on Friday termed as "outrageous" the allegations that erstwhile Rajiv Gandhi government had assured "safe passage" to Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson before he came to India following the deadly Bhopal gas leakage that killed thousands.
"There is absolutely no evidence of any kind whatsoever direct or indirect to support this completely outrageous and ridiculous allegation," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said at a press conference here.
Earlier, the then foreign secretary M K Rasgotra gave a new twist to the raging controversy over the Bhopal gas tragedy by disclosing that the home ministry, under P V Narasimha Rao, had assured "safe passage" to Anderson before he came to India in the aftermath of the gas leakage in 1984.
"The allegation is purely political," Singhvi claimed when asked about the statements coming from Rasgotra and the then Deputy Chief de Mission at the US Embassy in New Delhi, Gordon Streeb, that the then Union government had assured safe passage to Anderson during his trip to India.
"The Prime Minister of India does not deal with what every police constable does. There is absolutely no connectivity... Why this gentleman is saying this for the first time after 25 years? Could he not find any other time to make this allegation? And why are those political parties picking up these on themes on the basis of allegations being made now. If there was slightest of evidence, these allegations would have been made earlier," Singhvi said.
"There is now as you know a GOM. All those things deserve to be looked into... but certainly there is no place for such outrageous allegations. Because there is no basis, except that it creates a certain amount of political sensationalism and mockery by certain vested interest.
"All is not lost, because there are procedures by which A, a review petition can be filed before the Supreme Court to consider reviewing a judgement passed by it years ago. B, the process of perusing that criminal proceedings in which he was declared a proclaimed offender can be restarted," the Congress spokesman said.
Responding to a question, Singhvi said there is no connection between the Bhopal tragedy and the Nuclear Liability Bill pending in the Parliament.
"I do not see any reason to connect the two (Bhopal issue and nuclear liability bill). Because the proposed civil nuclear liability bill is specifically restricted and operative in respect to suppliers and operators of nuclear parts. Nobody is suggesting that the Bhopal site involved a nuclear plant. Even if it is passed in whatever form, it (Nuclear Liability Bill) would have nothing to do with non-nuclear plant sites," he said.
Singhvi is leading an all-party delegation of Members of Parliament to attend the annual India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Programme.
Circumstantial evidence indicates that there must have been a "safe passage" promise, because it was senior government officials who escorted Anderson out of Bhopal after his bail. The more important question that has not been raised so far is, why did Anderson decide to come to India after a gas leak of unprecedented proportions? Was it to give moral support to the victims? Or was it to cut a deal with the powers that be to dilute Union Carbide's liability in the case? Was it this deal which later saw the Government of India settle for a paltry out-of-court settlement? Had Bhopal money filled the Swiss Bank account of Rajiv Gandhi and family even before Bofors money did? Anderson might sing if extradited. Or maybe we are forgetting Keshub Mahindra, his Indian partner. He must be privy to the whole thing. Keshub Mahindra must be arrested and questioned. The greatest scandal of post-independent India must be unraveled.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Allegations-of-deal-with-Anderson-outrageous-Congress/articleshow/6062272.cms
WASHINGTON: Congress party on Friday termed as "outrageous" the allegations that erstwhile Rajiv Gandhi government had assured "safe passage" to Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson before he came to India following the deadly Bhopal gas leakage that killed thousands.
"There is absolutely no evidence of any kind whatsoever direct or indirect to support this completely outrageous and ridiculous allegation," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said at a press conference here.
Earlier, the then foreign secretary M K Rasgotra gave a new twist to the raging controversy over the Bhopal gas tragedy by disclosing that the home ministry, under P V Narasimha Rao, had assured "safe passage" to Anderson before he came to India in the aftermath of the gas leakage in 1984.
"The allegation is purely political," Singhvi claimed when asked about the statements coming from Rasgotra and the then Deputy Chief de Mission at the US Embassy in New Delhi, Gordon Streeb, that the then Union government had assured safe passage to Anderson during his trip to India.
"The Prime Minister of India does not deal with what every police constable does. There is absolutely no connectivity... Why this gentleman is saying this for the first time after 25 years? Could he not find any other time to make this allegation? And why are those political parties picking up these on themes on the basis of allegations being made now. If there was slightest of evidence, these allegations would have been made earlier," Singhvi said.
"There is now as you know a GOM. All those things deserve to be looked into... but certainly there is no place for such outrageous allegations. Because there is no basis, except that it creates a certain amount of political sensationalism and mockery by certain vested interest.
"All is not lost, because there are procedures by which A, a review petition can be filed before the Supreme Court to consider reviewing a judgement passed by it years ago. B, the process of perusing that criminal proceedings in which he was declared a proclaimed offender can be restarted," the Congress spokesman said.
Responding to a question, Singhvi said there is no connection between the Bhopal tragedy and the Nuclear Liability Bill pending in the Parliament.
"I do not see any reason to connect the two (Bhopal issue and nuclear liability bill). Because the proposed civil nuclear liability bill is specifically restricted and operative in respect to suppliers and operators of nuclear parts. Nobody is suggesting that the Bhopal site involved a nuclear plant. Even if it is passed in whatever form, it (Nuclear Liability Bill) would have nothing to do with non-nuclear plant sites," he said.
Singhvi is leading an all-party delegation of Members of Parliament to attend the annual India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Programme.
Circumstantial evidence indicates that there must have been a "safe passage" promise, because it was senior government officials who escorted Anderson out of Bhopal after his bail. The more important question that has not been raised so far is, why did Anderson decide to come to India after a gas leak of unprecedented proportions? Was it to give moral support to the victims? Or was it to cut a deal with the powers that be to dilute Union Carbide's liability in the case? Was it this deal which later saw the Government of India settle for a paltry out-of-court settlement? Had Bhopal money filled the Swiss Bank account of Rajiv Gandhi and family even before Bofors money did? Anderson might sing if extradited. Or maybe we are forgetting Keshub Mahindra, his Indian partner. He must be privy to the whole thing. Keshub Mahindra must be arrested and questioned. The greatest scandal of post-independent India must be unraveled.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Allegations-of-deal-with-Anderson-outrageous-Congress/articleshow/6062272.cms
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