Act against guilty in Pathak report leak: Left

New Delhi Aug 4: The Left parties today asked the government to investigate how the Justice Pathak Committee Report, reportedly indicting former External affairs minster Natwar Singh and his son Jagat Singh in the oil-for-food scam, was leaked to the media.

The Committee submitted its report to the Prime Minister yesterday.

Talking to sources, CPI Floor leader in the Lok Sabha Gurudas Dasgupta said, ''The leakage of the Report is unfortunate. The government should tell the nation why and how it was leaked.''

Mr Dasgupta said the Report should be tabled and discussed in the House.

''The government should also ensure that the guilty are brought to book,'' he added.

At a press conference in the vicinity of Parliament house, CPI(M) Floor leaders Mr Acharia and Mr Salim, however, avoided direct replies to questions on the report saying they were yet to see the report. ''Only then, we will be able to comment.'' There should be a thorough inquiry as to how some of the findings of the report were made public or leaked. The government must conduct an inquiry to establish who leaked the report and why it was leaked.'' On whether a privilege motion would be brought against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the leakage of the report from the PMO, the Left leaders said, ''This is why we are demanding an inquiry.'' To a report making rounds in the political circles that CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury was advocating for the reinstatement of Mr Natwar Singh, Mr Mohammad gave a vague reply - ''There always remains the possibility.'' On questions relating to the CPI(M)'s latest position on the Indo-US nuclear deal, they said, ''We are of the view that in some form, the concerns of the Left and the sense of Parliament should be reflected be it a Parlimantery resolution, a declaration or a statment by the PM.'' They clarified that even a unanimous resolution did not pose any threat to the UPA government as they had recently passed a unanimous resolution against Israel's military agression against Lebanon.

To other specific queries, they informed that discussions were on with the government on reservation in private sector, reservations for the OBCs in the institutions of higher learning and reservation for minorities to help them in the fields of education and development.

UNI

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