PM accepts error in CVC appointment

Bringing an apparent closure to a contentious issue, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said he accepts full responsibility in the erroneous appointment of Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) P J Thomas, the top corruption watchdog of India who was axed by the Supreme Court for his tainted past.

The Prime Minister, as assured by him earlier, first made a statement in the Lok Sabha but its wording brought Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj on her feet and she said the PM has not clearly accepted his mistake in the appointment of the CVC despite an admission of the same earlier when he spoke in Jammu.

“I am surprised that the PM’s statement in Jammu was different from the one in Lok Sabha today,” said Swaraj.

To this the Prime Minister rose again to say: “Obvisouly there has been an error of judegment and I accept the full responsibility.”

The PM’s remarks are an admission of his moral responsibility in the appointment of Thomas as the top anti-corruption watchdog.

The PM first said he “accepts and respects” the Supreme Court judgement nullifying the appointment of Thomas, but when Swaraj pointed out that she was not happy with what he said and should repeat his public statement in Jammu earlier and accept his mistake, the PM came clean again in no uncertain terms.

Sushma Swaraj was on the panel along with the PM and Home Minister P Chidambaram that appointed Thomas, but the BJP senior leader had dissented on the choice.

In a historic judgement on Thursday last, the Supreme Court struck down the apppointment of PJ Thomas as the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) of India, dealing a major blow to the image of the embattled Prime Minister Manmohan Singh since the chief corruption watchdog of the nation was chosen by the panel headed by him and despite objections of Swaraj.

The court acted on a petition challenging appointment of Thomas as the country’s chief corruption watchdog since his past records on corruptions issues were not clean.

The court also found fault in the committee of the Prime Minister that appointed Thomas and said the government should have gone beyond his bio-data, where Thomas did not mention his implication in an edible oil import scam.

The apex court expressed concern over the appointment on the question of integrity and even suggested a judicial review of such appointments in future.

It said the CVC can be anyone outside the circle of a bureaucrat of a civil servant.