Press
Briefing Thursday, 3rd March 2011
Shri
Abhishek Singhvi addressed the media today.
Shri Abhishek Singhvi said now that the press note from
the Election Commission for the States going to election
has come, we are happy to share with you that the
Congress party and the Congress-led UPA is raring to go
into these elections and to show you that in States
spread all over India, there is public support for our
governance and for our governments. The winds of change
are blowing and blowing strong and rapid. As the
momentum picks up, these winds of change will
undoubtedly convert into a typhoon replacing governments
in certain States which have indulged in misgovernance
and bringing back governments in certain other States
which have put their best foot forward. The sincerity
and the dynamism of the Congress party, of the
Congress-led UPA and in particular of the Chairperson of
the UPA the Congress President and the Prime Minister of
the country, is for all to see and which is why the
States which are going to election, the electorate
appreciates the strong inclusive growth-oriented
development scene, not only elsewhere in India, all over
India but in these States in particular. In West Bengal
and Kerala - to name two out of the several states going
to the polls - rampant misgovernance, a complete turning
of the blind eye or sensitivity to people's concern has
made the writing on the wall clear. The writing on the
wall is clear for several months now. In Assam - a
difficult border State in that sense - several landmark
initiatives have been taken - the most recent being the
beginning and the implementation of a major solution to
a long standing militant problem. We have no doubt that
the commendable efforts made by several governments in
particular in Assam, will be and are being appreciated
so as to lead to a resounding victory. In Tamil Nadu and
Puducherry, we are confident of coming back and we are
confident because we have tried our best to deliver the
maximum possible growth. The growth rate in these two
states speaks for themselves. In a nutshell, the
Congress party and the UPA go into these elections with
their head held high and supremely confident of success,
yet humble in their approach to the electorate.
With corruption and high inflation rate on the piggy
back of the Congress party if still the Congress party
sees success in the states going into elections, Shri
Singhvi said that you are not the sole electorate. When
we win the elections, let us wait for the results.
On the reaction of the Congress party over the ruling of
the Supreme Court in the case of CVC Shri Thomas, Shri
Singhvi said there is a judgment of the Supreme Court.
The entire country, and in particular the government,
including the high powered committee and other
institutional entities who are part of the decision
making process, bow down to it, respect it and
therefore, there is no question of commenting upon it.
There is no question of accepting it or not accepting it
because it is a given, to which, under the constitution,
as the supreme and apex body, we bow down to it.
Whatever has to be said to the contrary or otherwise had
to be said while the proceedings were on and that is the
great aspect of our democracy that we make submissions
without fear or compromise and after those submissions
are appreciated, the Apex Court, in its wisdom, gives
the final verdict which is binding. It is completely
wrong as some parties are doing to politicize what is a
legal verdict. It is a legal judgment based upon legal
considerations and principles and as with any other
judgment; it is of course, binding on the nation and in
particular on the government and all other
implementation agencies. There is no question of
commenting on it or second-guessing it or diluting it or
making any subjective interpretation of a judgment
already given. There is no question of answering
anything beyond the Supreme Court.
To a question that should the Prime Minister, Home
Minister and Shri Prithvi Raj Chavan not resign owning
moral responsibility in this case, Shri Singhvi said I
do not agree or accept with the single sentiment of your
long vindicated question. Let me make it clear that
errors are there, which is why the court intervenes.
Fallibility is an aspect for which courts are there to
pronounce upon. Fallibility does not mean motives, it
does not mean subjective interpretation, and it does not
mean any further comment because an error has been set
right by a legal judgment. That legal judgment is from
no less than the Apex Court of the land which
ex-post-facto rules upon the validity. That does not at
all ever mean that when the validity is found to be
lacking, as in this case, motives have to be attributed.
These are nothing but politicized, political
interpretations and not a word of what you are
summarizing as the political interpretation, finds place
in the Supreme Court judgment rightly so. Yes, a legal
error found to be erroneous now by the Supreme Court
must be and is being set right.
Shri Singhvi disagreed with the generalization that
every legally erroneous decision found ex-post-facto to
be legally wrong is necessarily morally wrong.
On the question of reaction of the Congress party over
the remarks of the Supreme Court on the black money
issue, Shri Singhvi said all submissions are contained
in affidavit filed in the Supreme Court. There is no
need to repeat the same. We have already made it clear
that no other government than the Congress-led UPA has
taken concrete steps in this direction. There have been
65 special agreements and double taxation avoidance
treaties. Remarkable progress has been made in this
direction. When the other party was in power, no such
action was taken in this regard.
To a question on Congress MPs protesting in Lok Sabha in
favour of creation of separate Telengana, Shri Singhvi
said that, as already explained, the Government at the
state level and the party has said that this is a
delicate, complex and complicated procedure. Everything
is being done to come to a logical conclusion which will
have the maximum support in the maximum quarters. Shri
Singhvi requested the media not to muddy the waters by
injecting further sensationalism or further problems
into a delicate process. We owe it to Andhra, the people
of Andhra Pradesh and the nation as a whole not to
create a situation of conflagration. We assure that
utmost sincerity is being used in a phased manner to
deal with the issue. There is no closure; there is no
culmination at the moment.
Tom Vadakkan
Secretary, AICC
