Privilege motion against Jaswant for misleading RS: Cong

By Staff

Published: Wednesday, August 2, 2006, 20:54 [IST]

New Delhi, Aug 2: The Congress has given a notice for breach of privilege against former External Affairs Minister and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh for having misled the Upper House with a forged letter containing false facts regarding the presence of a ''mole'' in the PMO as alleged by him in his book.

The privilege notice has been given by Congress member in the Rajya Sabha V Narayansamy, party spokesperson Jayanti Natrajan told reporters here.

''It is a serious matter involving national security as a person no less than a former Defence Minister and External Affairs Minister made an irresponsible allegation in the Rajya Sabha yesterday against the security of the country, endangering the democratic system,'' she said, adding Mr Singh had not been able to substantiate his own statement regarding the mole in the PMO.

Pointing out Mr Singh had quoted the correspondence between former US Ambassador to India Harry Barnes and US Senator Thomas Graham as the basis for his claim that there was a mole in the PMO, which leaked information regarding nuclear secrets from the PMO to the US, Ms Natrajan said Mr Barnes has since denied having anything to do with Mr Jaswant Singh's claim about the mole in the PMO.

''The language purported to have been used in the alleged correspondence is also not on the pattern followed by diplomats, she added.

Wondering under whose pressure was Mr Singh holding back from naming the person he has in mind as the mole, Ms Natrjan demanded that both Mr Singh and the BJP apologise to the nation for having misled Parliament on the basis of a forged letter.

UNI

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Published On August 2, 2006

Privilege motion against Jaswant for misleading RS: Cong

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