Home India Politics Congress distances from government stance on CVC

Congress distances from government stance on CVC

By IANS,

New Delhi: The Congress Thursday distanced itself from the government stance in the Supreme Court on the appointment of Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) P.J. Thomas, saying that it was not for the party to comment on the issue.

“The matter is between the court and the government. If the Supreme Court has asked for a clarification, it is for the law officer of the government to explain things and to provide information,” Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed said here.

The Supreme Court was told Thursday that the high-powered committee for the selection of the CVC was not informed about a pending charge sheet against Thomas and the sanction granted by the Kerala government to prosecute him in the palm oil import case in the state.

Asked about senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj, who was a member of the selection committee, terming the government stance in the court as untrue and deciding to file an affidavit in the Supreme Court, Ahmed said anybody can file an affidavit.

“Everybody and anybody can go to court,” he said.

At the meeting of the committee to select the CVC Sep 3 last year, Sushma Swaraj had recorded her disagreement over the selection of Thomas. The committee, which also comprises Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P.Chidambaram, recommended Thomas’ selection by a majority.