On Bhopal, Arjun double-crossed Pranab in RS

The Congress high command is livid with Arjun Singh, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and ex-Union HRD minister, for hinting that pressure to grant bail to Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson came from the home ministry, then headed by PV Narasimha Rao.

In making a veiled reference to Rao’s culpability, Arjun Singh appears to have outsmarted finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, who was deputed by the high command to ensure that he did not make damaging statements. Singh had been categorically told by Mukherjee not to mention Rao or anything which can point to New Delhi’s role in the affair, but the wily Congress leader went ahead with his statement.

Arjun Singh had apparently promised Mukherjee that he would delete two crucial lines from his written statement to be made in the Rajya Sabha, as suggested by the latter. The text of Singh’s speech was shown to the high command before he was granted permission to speak on the Bhopal gas tragedy.    

It was pointed out that even if he blamed Union home ministry officials for pressuring the state government to grant bail to Anderson, it would unnecessarily bring in the late Rao and indirectly point to Rajiv Gandhi’s tacit involvement.

Though the high command never liked Rao, it was not keen on naming him in regard to the Warren Anderson controversy as blaming Rao would merely create more controversies. In fact, the high command never wanted Arjun Singh to speak, considering the sensitivities involved.

But after Arjun Singh promised to make changes, he was allowed to speak. Minutes before Arjun Singh was to speak, a worried Mukherjee walked up to the last row in the Rajya Sabha where he was sitting. Arjun Singh even showed him his hand-written notes and promised to speak as discussed.

Mukherjee them conveyed to the parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Kumar Bansal that all was well. Bansal is reported to have conveyed to prime minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi that the issue had been sorted out. But what Arjun Singh spoke ruffled many a feathers in the party. But nothing could be done after he had spoken.

Union home minister P Chidambaram, who had been deputed to defend the government in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, told party leaders that his task had been made more difficult. Though he put up a stout defence, he had to take shelter on a couple of occasions behind bland statements. “We have no records available in the home ministry”, he said about the Anderson affair.

He maintained that “there is a lack of facts” on the safe passage given to him. He also attempted to lob the ball back in the BJP’s court by claiming that such questions should have been asked in 2001 and not now, when most of the persons mentioned were not alive.

Congress spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan refused to comment despite persistent queries by newsmen who wanted to know why Arjun Singh blamed the home ministry for the safe passage given to Anderson.