MANGALORE: CPM politburo member Brinda Karat on Wednesday said the position of Ashwani Kumar as Union law minister is untenable in the Union cabinet after the Supreme Court’s scathing attack on non-autonomous functioning of CBI.
The Left has always been batting for the autonomy of the country’s premier investigating agency and no justice can be expected if CBI is under the government control, she added.
Brinda told reporters here it is travesty of justice that Ashwani is still in the office and remains a minister even after the Supreme Court observed that there is a need to liberate CBI from political interference and make it an autonomous body. “The stand taken by the Congress that it would await the final judgment on Coalgate, investigation status report which CBI shared with the law minister is ridiculous and Ashwani Kumar should quit forthwith,” she said.
Blaming both Congress and BJP for the near paralysed state of the Parliament, Brinda said, “It is the bounden duty of the ruling party to ensure the smooth functioning of the Parliament. This (the current state of the Parliament) showed the arrogance of the ruling Congress that it can get away with anything based on their strength. The Congress and BJP have specialized the art of personalized politics taking on each others’ leadership.”
Wondering why the PM and finance minister have not answered queries before the joint parliamentary committee probing the 2G spectrum issue, she said the move by PC Chacko, chairman of JPC, to leak the report even before it was discussed by members is contempt of parliamentary norms on standing committee.
Describing his action as utter callousness and arrogance, she said such action is non-conducive to the smooth functioning of Parliament.
Blaming TMC government in West Bengal for the Saradha group mess that has left scores of investors in the lurch, Brinda flayed a move by the government there to bring an ordinance to “safeguard” their investors. The government should have confiscated the property of Saradha group and by dilly-dallying in taking any action, has only enabled them to manipulate their accounts.
“The TMC government is making a mockery of people’s sorrow,” she said.
