VVIP chopper deal: Chair has not authenticated any document laid by Swamy, says Kurien

The ruling came after Jairam Ramesh said that Subramanian Swamy had claimed on his twitter handle that RS had approved the documents

As Subramanian Swamy and Congress members continued to spar over AgustaWestland chopper deal in Rajya Sabha, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien today said the Chair has not authenticated or approved any document tabled by the recently nominated MP in support of his statements on the issue.

Kurien gave the ruling after Jairam Ramesh (Congress) raised the issue that Swamy had claimed on his twitter handle that Rajya Sabha had approved the documents he had tabled based on which he had made allegations during a discussion on the VVIP chopper deal.

"Nobody else has authenticated it (Swamy's documents), neither the Chairman, nor me," Kurien said, adding that the responsibility of the documents rested with the person authenticating them.

"The Chair bears no responsibility. Chair has not authenticated any papers," Kurien said and further went on to add that he had not approved anything.

Ramesh first quoted the Rajya Sabha Bulletin of May 6 that said the Chairman had permitted Swamy to lay on the table of the House copy of three documents he claimed to have quoted while participating in the discussion.

The Congress member then said that Swamy had next day tweeted, "Rajya Sabha has approved my documents. Jairam Ramesh run for cover."

He asked whether Rajya Sabha has approved of the documents submitted by Swamy, who he said "does not have the habit of speaking truth."

"The bulletin says the papers authenticated by Swamy are laid on the table... (and so) they would be available for scrutiny... We will expose him," the Congress member said.

Posing whether Rajya Sabha has approved his documents, Ramesh said if not, then "I demand an apology from the honourable member" but quickly added that he would not call him "honourable" and stick to seeking an apology from Swamy.

Protesting against Ramesh for terming him as a person in habit of telling lies, Swamy said the Chairman's right to allow papers to be laid on the table was being called to question.

"Jairam Ramesh has a habit of putting his hand in wrong places and being bitten. Right now he has a bandage," he said in an apparent reference to the cast on the Congress leader's right hand.

Statements on Twitter, he said, was between him and his followers. "Jairam Ramesh is follower of some buddhu (fool)," he said in sarcastic tone and added that the Chairman's decisions are being brought into question.