Sushma takes battle over CVC to President

NEW DELHI: The confrontation between the BJP and the Congress-led UPA Government over the appointment of Chief Vigilance Commissioner P J Thomas was taken to the doorstep of President Pratibha Patil by Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj. The BJP is peeved over his appointment, despite her giving a “dissent” over his choice.

Talking to the Express, Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj said, “I met the President to apprise her of the situation on the question of CVC appointment. I explained to her that our objection was with regard to the name of P J Thomas and that the Government could choose from either of the two other names. If the Government had a different view, at least it could defer the matter for a day and meet the following day to consider the issue. But the government was determined to hustle through the issue.”

According to Sushma, though there was a panel of three names, the government insisted on P J Thomas, thus ignoring her objections. The other names in the panel were of Department of Chemicals and Fertilizer secretary Bijoy Chatterjee and former Fertiliser Secretary S Krishnan.

The government sources stated, was of the view that since Thomas was exonerated of his charges on the Kerala Palm oil case, he was eligible to be appointed as the CVC. Sushma Swaraj said, “Where was the need for giving a panel of three names when the Government was insistent on a single name?”

Earlier in the day, the BJP had even boycotted the swearing-in ceremony of P J Thomas as the Central Vigilance Commissioner, protesting against the decision of the Congress-led UPA government. It was last Friday that in the meeting of the selection panel - comprising of Prime Minister, Home Minister and Leader of Opposition - the Government had insisted on P J Thomas being made the CVC Sushma’s plea was that since Thomas has been investigated on graft charges, he cannot oversee an investigation into the 2G allocation.

BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “It was a conscious decision not to go to the function, to protest the manner in which P J Thomas was appointed CVC, over-ruling the very legitimate concerns expressed by BJP about him.”According Sushma, the entire exercise of taking the views of the Opposition on the appointment to a Constitutional post has been made redundant by the government.