Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Friday left his party leaders in Maharashtra red-faced. The Nehru scion backed the judicial probe on the Adarsh housing scam, which indicted three former Congress Chief Ministers —including Sushil Kumar Shinde, who is currently Union Home Minister.
Rahul Gandhi asked the Maharashtra Government to reconsider its decision of rejecting the judicial probe report. “Personally, I don’t agree with that decision. They (Maharashtra Government) should reconsider that,” he told a press conference after a meeting of Congress’s Chief Ministers on price rise and corruption.
Maharashtra Chief Minister, Prithviraj Chavan, said he would discuss the suggestion with his Cabinet colleagues and take a decision very soon. He said there was no question of protecting anybody. “They should reconsider,” said.
On the issue of corruption, Gandhi said the Congress was the only party that thinks of changing the framework. The report of a two-member commission, headed by retired High Court Judge J.A. Patil, had inducted several key politicians and officials in the Adarsh scam.
Attacking the Opposition parties, Rahul Gandhi said they were not interested in building a framework against corruption. “These days, we hear big talk about fighting corruption. We hear again and again about corruption. But there is no action. Talks have become a fashion,” he said. The Amethi MP added that the United Progressive Alliance Government was committed to building an anti-corruption framework. “But we are blocked in Parliament. If they (the Opposition) are serious, let’s stop talking and start acting. We are dead serious,” he added.
Special session He hinted that there could be a special session to discuss six legislations that are pending in Parliament. “Let’s have a session of Parliament and create a framework. Whenever we talk about creating a framework, there is complete silence on the other (opposition) side. I don’t hear ‘let’s pass these Bills’” he added.
Some months ago, Rahul Gandhi had embarrassed the Cabinet by openly trashing the Ordinance to nullify the Supreme Court verdict on banning convicted politicians from contesting elections.
jigeesh.am@thehindu.co.in