By IANS,
New Delhi: The Congress has taken “serious note” of party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing in the Kerala High Court to defend a lottery distributor accused of irregularities, though Singhvi has withdrawn from the case.
Congress general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi Monday told reporters that “the party has taken serious note of the issue”.
Last week, Singhvi, a lawyer, appeared for Megha Distributors – an agent for lotteries of Sikkim and Bhutan, upsetting Congress leaders in Kerala who alleged that the firm’s owner was linked to the Communist Party of India-Marxist, which heads the ruling front in Kerala.
The state Congress, which is preparing for crucial polls to the local bodies, was unhappy with Singhvi fighting the case. The lawyer later announced that he was withdrawing from the case.
State Congress chief Ramesh Chennithala and leader of opposition in Kerala assembly Oommen Chandy have demanded strong action against the party spokesperson “as the party in Kerala was of the opinion that it was wrong on the part of him (Singhvi) to appear in the case”.
“Though he has already said he has withdrawn from the case, the party has taken serious note of it. The matter is under consideration,” Dwivedi said.
Party spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan said here that “the party high command is seized of the matter”.
She, however, slammed the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala for its alleged link with the lottery distributor.
Natarajan said Singhvi’s appearance in the case “no way dilutes the allegation against the Left government”.
Marxist leaders in Kerala, including Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, alleged that Singhvi took on the case with the full knowledge of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
“Singhvi came with the full knowledge of Sonia Gandhi, if not, action would have been taken against him. The Congress is playing a double game, on the one hand they say they are against (illegal) lottery, on the other hand they support the lottery mafia,” Balakrishnan told reporters Sunday.