BJP says Centre stand defending CVC Thomas unfortunate

Bhubaneswar/New Delhi, Jan 18 (PTI) BJP today slammed asunfortunate Centre''s defence of the appointment of "tainted"CVC P J Thomas in Supreme Court and asked Prime MinisterManmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi what wasthe compulsion behind its action.

The Congress on its part wanted BJP to be firstconsistent in its stand and say whether or not it believes inthe dignity of constitutional institutions.

BJP President Nitin Gadkari told reporters inBhubaneswar that the Centre''s affidavit regarding Thomas, whois facing a corruption case in a Kerala court, was"unfortunate".

Stating that Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj hadopposed Thomas'' appointment, he said if Centre felt there wasno need for consensus of the three-member committee on CVC''sappointment then what was the purpose of setting up the panel.

The committee is headed by the Prime Minister.

In New Delhi, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said"it is a curious position that the Government of India isunabashedly trying to defend a tainted CVC and unleashingan aggressive attack on an upright CAG.

But in the process the institutional credibility of bothis getting weakened."

Prasad further asked, "Dr Manmohan Singh, what is thecompulsion that you are so aggressively defending theindefensible, namely the tainted CVC?."

BJP also posed questions to Sonia Gandhi while taking adig at her five-point strategy for fighting corruption.

"I want to ask Sonia Gandhi, you are giving five bulletpoints of do''s and don''ts to Congressmen to preventcorruption. Madam, Sonia Gandhi there are no do''s and don''tsin case of CVC? Certainly the country is entitled to know,"Prasad said.

Responding to the BJP attack, Congress spokespersonManish Tiwari said contradictions between BJP''s utterances andactions are clearly reflected through such statements of theparty.

BJP is accusing Congress of undermining the dignity ofthe Constitutional bodies while on the other hand theopposition party is giving reaction after reaction when theissue is being heard in the Supreme Court, Tiwari added. PTISKN RC AMR SPG GSN