Swamy should submit Agusta documents in the House, says Congress

The Congress on Thursday hit back at BJP MP Subramanian Swamy wanting to know how he got access to "sensitive" documents that he had quoted in the AgustaWestland debate in the Rajya Sabha a day ago, and stated that he has not submitted them to the house.

"There were certain sensitive documents from the Ministry of Defence, CBI and ED which were read by an honourable member ... less honourable rather, and he had promised to authenticate them," senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said indicating Swamy.

"Unauthenticated documents were quoted in the debate ... those documents have not been kept on the table of the house," the Congress leader said.

"The house must know how a member was given access to sensitive government files which he has refused to authenticate until now," said Sharma.

Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien said the member would have to submit the documents as he has been instructed by the chair.

"He will have to comply with it... if it is not complied with, rules will take care," Kurien said.

The Congress party also demanded that a discussion on Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) should be held as it was agreed that the house would discuss the issue along with the AgustaWestland bribery issue.

"They (government) had said they have no objection to having a discussion on this," Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said.

"I would request the chair at the earliest that we should discuss it," he said.

The Congress has been demanding a discussion on the Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) report pointing out anomalies in GSPC's KG (Krishna-Godavari) Basin gas project when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was Gujarat chief minister.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that since the CAG report had to be examined by the Public Accounts Committee of the state assembly, it should not be discussed in the house.

However, the government agreed that if Chairman M. Hamid Ansari decides so, it would agree for the discussion.

"It is said by the government that if the chairman takes a decision they will abide by that. You have raised it. I will raise it with chairman today itself," Kurien assured the Congress members.

--IANS

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