PM backs law minister

Says there's no question of Ashwani Kumar resigning over the issue

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today backed Law Minister Ashwani Kumar, saying there was no question of the latter’s resignation. This was in the context of Central Bureau of Investigation Director Ranjit Sinha’s affidavit, filed in the Supreme Court yesterday, which said the law minister had seen a draft status report of CBI’s investigation into the coal block allocation scam, “as desired by him”.

The PM went a step further to assert: “The matter is now in the court and it is sub judice. Therefore, it is not proper for me to do anything, but there is no question of the law minister resigning”.

Singh was speaking to reporters at Rashtrapati Bhavan on the sidelines of the Defence Investiture ceremony.

Asked about the Bharatiya Janata Party’s charge that he was using the law minister to insulate himself from the coal block allocation scam, the PM said: “I would not like to comment on this subject. It is a matter which is now before the court and it is sub judice”.

Singh’s full-throated defence of the law minister has put the government in a fix. Top lawyers say the Supreme Court is unlikely to condone the fact that the government did not tell the court the truth when (through the additional solicitor general) it said the political executive had not vetted CBI’s status report. “What if the court passes strictures against the law minister or the CBI chief or the government law officers in its hearing on April 30? Who will be held responsible for the government’s conduct,” they ask.

There is the additional issue about the vulnerability of the prime minister himself. On the other hand, it is possible the court might ignore the lapse and accept on its face value the CBI chief’s promise that it would not happen again.

In either event, the coming weekend is going to be an uneasy time for all those engaged in legal management of government affairs.

On Law Minister Ashwani Kumar
“The matter is sub judice. Therefore, it is not proper for me to do anything, but there is no question of the law minister resigning”

On govt’s plan for the incursion standoff?

“We do have a plan. We do not want to accentuate the situation. It is a localised problem. Talks are going on (with China)”

On Sarabjit issue
“It is very sad, Some inmates attacked him in jail. I think that is a very sad development”

On Opposition’s demand for his resignation
“This is not the first time. I would appeal to the Opposition to let Parliament function. We are making a mockery of our democracy. The issues can be debated and decisions arrived at through dialogue”

On the Bengal chit fund issue
“Unauthorised collection of deposits in exchange for the promise that exorbitant rate of return will be given is something which has to be curbed”