CVC file shows no mention of his past controversy

The file of Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) P J Thomas shows he had not mentioned the controversy surrounding his role in the Kerala edible oil scam of the 1990s, according to the documents in possession of RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal.

Subhash Chandra Agrawal, a noted RTI activist, got hold of the bio-data of the CVC and his appointment details through an RTI petition.

Speaking to lBNS, Agarwal said the documents record Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj’s dissent but did not specify why she opposed the appointment of Thomas.

“If the majority decision is all that matters then what is the point in having an Opposition leader in the panel,” Agrawal asked.

Agrawal, however, got access to a part of the documents since rest were with the Supreme Court when he filed the RTI before the government.

“I would however say there is no faith of people in the political community. Even BJP in its time did not do much to make CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) autonomous. Did BJP change the rule at their time?” he asked.

Meanwhile, India?s main opposition BJP on Friday slammed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over appointment of P J Thomas as Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC).

?Now in the case of CVC appointment the falsehood of the Govt. got exposed,? said BJP National spokesperson Prakash Javadekar.

?It seems that the fa?ade of cleanliness of the PM is falling apart. Every second day the UPA Govt. is getting embroiled in a new damning indictment with regard to corruption and open loot of public money,? he said.

The days of tainted CVC P J Thomas as the chief corruption watchdog of the country might be numbered with political activities suggesting he might be asked to step down in the face of a gathering political storm that now reaches the doorsteps of the Prime Minister.

The controversy has snowballed into a major embarrassment for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj announced to move Supreme Court and prove that the government panel that included her and the Prime Minister was aware of the CVC’s tainted past before his appointment.

With the Supreme Court placing the issue on a fast burner, the government is said to be hoping that the CVC Thomas will spare it further embarrassment and file in his resignation.

On Thursday, the Prime Minister?s office once again found itself in a political cesspool as the BJP launched a renewed onslaught on the government challenging its submission before the Supreme Court on the appointment of the country?s graft watchdog as “untrue”.

Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj, fresh off her spat with the ruling parties over her foiled political rally in Kashmir on Republic Day, Thursday vowed to file an affidavit to the Supreme Court on the appointment of a tainted person as the Chief Vigilance Commissioner.

Claiming that the government?s submission through Attorney General was “absolutely untrue”, the BJP leader said, ?I personally brought this to the notice of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister…now I have decided to file an affidavit before the Supreme Court.?

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) had challenged Thomas? appointment as the CVC pointing to an oil import case against him, though Thomas has pleaded innocence in an affidavit before the Supreme Court.

In 1991-92, Thomas, as the Food Secretary in Kerala, had allegedly allowed the import of Palmolein or edible oil from Malaysia at prices higher than the market rate.

He also allegedly covered up the 2G Spectrum allocation scam as the Telecom Secretary.