law Minister Ashwani Kumar said on Saturday that his decision to quit was to put an end to “unnecessary controversy” and in no way did it imply any “wrongdoing” on his part for changing the status report of CBI in the Coalgate scam.
Speaking to media a day after he was asked to resign by the Prime Minister, Kumar sought to put the record straight in order to suggest that his resignation was fallout of a political decision. However, the Supreme Court had found no fault on his role in calling for the CBI report and making amends, he reiterated.
“Resignation does not imply wrongdoing,” Kumar told reporters. “I have done so (resign) to put an end to an unnecessary controversy in a matter which is before the Supreme Court and in which no adverse comments have been made against me in any manner whatsoever,” said a statement issued by him during the day.
Kumar was under fire ever since he was named by the CBI Director in an affidavit in the Supreme Court for calling him over to share the contents of a draft Status Report to be tabled before the Supreme Court. When the bench headed by Justice RM lodha enquired about the nature of changes, the CBI Director in yet another affidavit pointed out that the “heart” of the Status Report was changed as desired by the law Minister.
The former law Minister said there are certain political decisions that are considered necessary and he did what the Prime Minister and the party high command thought was appropriate. “When resignation papers are put they do not, by any stretch of imagination, imply any wrongdoing,” he said, when asked whether the resignation substantiated the allegation of wrongdoing. “There are certain political decisions that are considered necessary...No adverse comments have been made against me…My conscience remains clear and I believe that I will stand vindicated,” he said.
To a question whether he was made a scapegoat by his Government, Kumar left everybody guessing by his statement, “People of this country, my friends who stood by me, many of you in media and my esteemed colleagues in the profession know me for what I am. I would rather let them make a judgment.”
Kumar said whatever the Prime Minister and the party High Command thought fit, “as a loyal foot soldier I have done and I am proud of the fact that I am a loyal foot soldier of the party.”
He defended the PM and said, “It is prerogative of the Prime Minister to ask his colleagues when to resign and how to resign,” he said. Some supporters, who had gathered at his official residence, raised slogans in support of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Ashwani Kumar.
Kumar’s claim that the apex court made no adverse comment against him evoked sharp reactions from Opposition parties. “What should I say when a former law Minister, in spite of stinging observation by the Supreme Court and affidavit by the CBI that no minutes were maintained, is saying there is no adverse report,” BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad reportedly told a news channel.
CPI leader D Raja termed Kumar’s claims as “indefensible”. The CBI itself having admitted there was a meeting with the law Minister in which Joint Secretary-level officials from the PMO was present. “It is not convincing that Prime Minister is not aware what this official was doing from PMO. So there are many questions involved and this is not going to be the end. A thorough investigation will have to go on,” he said.