By George Joseph, IANS,
New Delhi : Ram Vilas Paswan, a former chemicals and fertiliser minister, says both the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party-led governments at the centre were “non-serious in handling the Bhopal gas tragedy” and he heard one excuse after another as to why nothing could be done to give relief to the affected people or take action against then Union Carbine chief Warren Anderson.
In an interview to IANS, Paswan said: “As chemical and fertiliser minister in the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government, I tried to gather detailed information and start the clean-up efforts. But the response was discouraging.”
The former minister said he had called meetings of senior officials “after I got representations from many NGOs and activists. But there were several bureaucratic excuses to any action.”
“One reason cited was that it did not come come within the jurisdiction of my ministry. Another excuse was that the matter was sub-judice. Everyone talked of the court directives as if the lives of the several thousands of people killed or injured was unimportant,” Paswan said.
“In the light of the recent trial court judgement and the media revelations in the Bhopal case, I can understand the old designs of the leading parties better. Congress was not interested in taking harsh action as it was in charge of the administration in Madhya Pradsh and at the centre during the incident in 1984. Both the centre and the state had a lot to hide,” Paswan maintained.
“The district police chief and district magistate might have obviously acted under the directive of (then chief minister) Arjun Singh not to enforce a formal arrest of Anderson. Arjun Singh should speak out. And nobody would believe that Anderson could leave the country without the knowledge of the then prime minister (Rajiv Gandhi)” Paswan contended.
Paswan, who is at present the president of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and has served in both the UPA and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) governments, further told IANS: “Regarding the BJP, now it is clear that it had a soft corner for Dow Chemicals, which took over the Union Carbide following its bankcruptcy. It has been officially confirmed by the Election Commission that BJP took donations from Dow.”
Paswan said the issue of compensating the Bhopal tragedy victims has now been effectively raised in the government and in public fora because of “media pressure”.
“Then there were not many TV channels and media. When the two major political parties decided to sideline a terrible case of human disaster, they could manage it,” he added.
Paswant said that things, however, have changed now.
“With the 25-year-delayed trial court judgement sentencing minor punishment of two years or so to the accused in such a major case, where 15,000-20,000 persons are believed to have been killed, the public conscience has been shocked,” said the Rajya Sabha MP.
“There is a wide feeling among the general public, not only among the affected and the activists, that it is too little and too late. People are very disturbed about the meagre compensation being paid and the inaction regarding Anderson”.
Paswan wants an Empowered Commission on the Bhopal tragdy to be appointed immediately.
“Within six months, it should disperse higher compensation to the dependents of the killed and the injured ones..better treatment to the injured and re-location of the affected should be ensured. Extradition of Anderson should be taken up as an issue of national prestige.”
(George Joseph can be contacted at [email protected])