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 deserves 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 judgment 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 Parliament to attend the annual India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Programme.
What is this "safe passage" that is being talked about? Is it not tantamount to invalidating the rule of law that is incumbent on Indian soil? For what purpose did Anderson elicit this assurance and come to India? To enter into a secret-deal with his Indian partner Mahindra Keshub to wriggle out of Union Carbide's liability? Was the Union Government privy to this secret deal? Was it this deal that led to the paltry out-of-court settlement? Were Indian interests sold out? Did Anderson come to India to fix a price for the sale of Indian interests? Was the Congress politicians beneficiaries of the sell out? Details of this sordid drama must be exposed.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ridiculous-to-link-rajiv-gandhi-anderson-safe-passage-cong/635518/0
"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 deserves 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 judgment 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 Parliament to attend the annual India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Programme.
What is this "safe passage" that is being talked about? Is it not tantamount to invalidating the rule of law that is incumbent on Indian soil? For what purpose did Anderson elicit this assurance and come to India? To enter into a secret-deal with his Indian partner Mahindra Keshub to wriggle out of Union Carbide's liability? Was the Union Government privy to this secret deal? Was it this deal that led to the paltry out-of-court settlement? Were Indian interests sold out? Did Anderson come to India to fix a price for the sale of Indian interests? Was the Congress politicians beneficiaries of the sell out? Details of this sordid drama must be exposed.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ridiculous-to-link-rajiv-gandhi-anderson-safe-passage-cong/635518/0
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