04-29-2008, 04:05 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>PMO not wrong in forwarding letter eight times: Congress </b>
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
Baalu row stalls both Houses
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) forwarded as many as eight letters to the Petroleum Ministry for allotment of gas to the firms owned by the two sons of Shipping Minister TR Baalu, but the Congress sees nothing wrong in that!Â
As the issue continued to rock Parliament, the party defended the PMO and said that forwarding letters is a common practice and did not necessarily mean endorsing the contents.
Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said: "The PMO had forwarded the requests to the Ministry. There is no question of endorsing or agreeing with the contents."
The Opposition is unlikely to buy this line of argument because it is understood that few officials will have the courage to go against a letter forwarded by the PMO. Also, it is difficult to believe that eight letters on the same subject could have been forwarded by the PMO to a Ministry and no one notice any thing unusual about it.
Caught in a difficult situation, the Government is hoping that the controversy will subside after Parliament Session with political parties getting busy with Karnataka Assembly poll.
<b>Senior Congress leaders said that the party would not press for Baalu's resignation, as it was an internal matter of DMK and not the Congress</b>. However, it is obvious that Baalu's had committed a gross misconduct in seeking favour for his sons and the Government needed to at least order an inquiry into the whole episode.
When asked to comment on the Congress views on Baalu's conduct, Singhvi said, "<b>We want probity in public life and do not want anything less than that." </b>
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
PMO is telling Prime Minister is just a rubber stamp what a big deal.
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
Baalu row stalls both Houses
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) forwarded as many as eight letters to the Petroleum Ministry for allotment of gas to the firms owned by the two sons of Shipping Minister TR Baalu, but the Congress sees nothing wrong in that!Â
As the issue continued to rock Parliament, the party defended the PMO and said that forwarding letters is a common practice and did not necessarily mean endorsing the contents.
Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said: "The PMO had forwarded the requests to the Ministry. There is no question of endorsing or agreeing with the contents."
The Opposition is unlikely to buy this line of argument because it is understood that few officials will have the courage to go against a letter forwarded by the PMO. Also, it is difficult to believe that eight letters on the same subject could have been forwarded by the PMO to a Ministry and no one notice any thing unusual about it.
Caught in a difficult situation, the Government is hoping that the controversy will subside after Parliament Session with political parties getting busy with Karnataka Assembly poll.
<b>Senior Congress leaders said that the party would not press for Baalu's resignation, as it was an internal matter of DMK and not the Congress</b>. However, it is obvious that Baalu's had committed a gross misconduct in seeking favour for his sons and the Government needed to at least order an inquiry into the whole episode.
When asked to comment on the Congress views on Baalu's conduct, Singhvi said, "<b>We want probity in public life and do not want anything less than that." </b>
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
PMO is telling Prime Minister is just a rubber stamp what a big deal.