Mumbai, March 22 (Agencies): Maharastra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday told Assembly that he as a union Minister of state for Personnel and Training was not aware of any negative vigilance report or pending criminal case against P J Thomas before his appointment as the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC). Making a statement in the House, Chavan said he had suggested three names--one serving and two retired-for the post of CVC.
“The department of Personnel and Training which prepared the service records of the three candidates had no mention of negative vigilance remarks or pending criminal case against Thomas. Hence, I accepted the name and forwarded it to the three-member committee to finalise the appointment of CVC,” he said. Chavan said after the appointment of Thomas was challenged in the SC, he sought the official’s vigilance records and found that the Central Vigilance Commission in a letter dated June 25, 2007 to the Department of Personnel and Training had cleared Thomas’ name. When the Centre sought Kerala Government’s opinion on October 17,2008 about availability of Thomas on central deputation, Kerala government, through a letter dated December 2,2008 had approved of the same, Chavan said.
“It was due to the Kerala government’s go ahead that the appointment of Thomas as secretary of parliamentary affairs and Telecom at the Centre was possible,” Chavan said. Even the Union home minister had spoken about clearance to Thomas from the then CVC, Chavan said, adding there was no room to suspect credentials of Thomas because the then CVC had also cleared his name and the Kerala government had given a go-ahead for his Central deputation. There was no attempt to mislead on this issue and after Supreme Court order, the Prime Minister has already stated in Parliament that the appointment of Thomas as CVC was a mistake, he said.
Opposition leaders in Maharashtra have been demanding Chavan’s resignation in connection with the controversy over appointment of CVC. “Chavan should resign on moral grounds since his name was mentioned by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the Rajya Sabha in connection with appointment of P J Thomas,” state BJP President Sudhir Mungantiwar has said. “Prithviraj Chavan took charge of the state as ‘Mr Clean’. But then he was accused of getting a flat (meant for below-poverty-line category). His name came up in the S-Band controversy, and now the Prime Minister has directly named him in the Thomas matter,” he said.
“The department of Personnel and Training which prepared the service records of the three candidates had no mention of negative vigilance remarks or pending criminal case against Thomas. Hence, I accepted the name and forwarded it to the three-member committee to finalise the appointment of CVC,” he said. Chavan said after the appointment of Thomas was challenged in the SC, he sought the official’s vigilance records and found that the Central Vigilance Commission in a letter dated June 25, 2007 to the Department of Personnel and Training had cleared Thomas’ name. When the Centre sought Kerala Government’s opinion on October 17,2008 about availability of Thomas on central deputation, Kerala government, through a letter dated December 2,2008 had approved of the same, Chavan said.
“It was due to the Kerala government’s go ahead that the appointment of Thomas as secretary of parliamentary affairs and Telecom at the Centre was possible,” Chavan said. Even the Union home minister had spoken about clearance to Thomas from the then CVC, Chavan said, adding there was no room to suspect credentials of Thomas because the then CVC had also cleared his name and the Kerala government had given a go-ahead for his Central deputation. There was no attempt to mislead on this issue and after Supreme Court order, the Prime Minister has already stated in Parliament that the appointment of Thomas as CVC was a mistake, he said.
Opposition leaders in Maharashtra have been demanding Chavan’s resignation in connection with the controversy over appointment of CVC. “Chavan should resign on moral grounds since his name was mentioned by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the Rajya Sabha in connection with appointment of P J Thomas,” state BJP President Sudhir Mungantiwar has said. “Prithviraj Chavan took charge of the state as ‘Mr Clean’. But then he was accused of getting a flat (meant for below-poverty-line category). His name came up in the S-Band controversy, and now the Prime Minister has directly named him in the Thomas matter,” he said.
‘BJP to make public documents of PJ Thomas’s appointment’
Lucknow, March 22 (PTI): The Bhartiya Janata Party today said it will make public the documents relating to the appointment of PJ Thomas as the central vigilance commissioner by the next week. “We have all the papers related to appointment of Thomas as the CVC which will be exposed before the people by the next week...We are waiting for the Parliament to get over,” BJP national secretary Kirit Somaiya told reporters here.
“On the basis of the papers in possession, I would like to say that appointment of the CVC was a big joke,” he said. Somaiya claimed the documents have details of the persons who recommended the name of Thomas and what notings were made by the ministers. He said “whether the prime minister was responsible, or the then minister Prithviraj Chavhan or the person on whose directives the appointment was carried out, one of them has to take the responsibility and accept it.”
Somaiya also demanded that details of IT raid at stud farm owner Hasan Ali’s residence in Pune in 2007 should also be made public. “During IT raid it was revealed that kickback of Air India aircraft purchase was transferred through hawala in the accounts of NCP and Congress leaders by Ali,” the BJP leader alleged. “Whatever the scam is it should get exposed before the people of the country,” he added.
“On the basis of the papers in possession, I would like to say that appointment of the CVC was a big joke,” he said. Somaiya claimed the documents have details of the persons who recommended the name of Thomas and what notings were made by the ministers. He said “whether the prime minister was responsible, or the then minister Prithviraj Chavhan or the person on whose directives the appointment was carried out, one of them has to take the responsibility and accept it.”
Somaiya also demanded that details of IT raid at stud farm owner Hasan Ali’s residence in Pune in 2007 should also be made public. “During IT raid it was revealed that kickback of Air India aircraft purchase was transferred through hawala in the accounts of NCP and Congress leaders by Ali,” the BJP leader alleged. “Whatever the scam is it should get exposed before the people of the country,” he added.
