Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: Hitting out at Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde`s hasty announcement to appoint a judge for conducting inquiry into Gujarat snoopgate before counting of votes in Lok Sabha polls, BJP`s senior leader Arun Jaitley on Friday said that the UPA government is being wrongly advised as next government can overturn these appointments.
Jaitley, during a press conference, said that UPA government is desperate to form snoopgate panel, but only few days are left for them.
He further added that the bureaucrats and well-wishers of UPA government have the responsibility to give right advice to the party.
“Only last two phases of the LS polls are left. By now it is clear that the wind is in favour of Narendra Modi. Congress is not a major player in last two phases. Hence, it`s well within the rights of the next government to cancel the new appointments,” he said.
He also appealed the country to make the BJP a clear winner in 2014 General Elections.
On the other hand, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "It is not snoopgate, it is stoop-gate. The Home Minister of India is stooping to this level. I can see the desperation.... No judge is willing to inquire into it, but they are insisting. We don`t fear from you."
Union Law Minister Kapil Sibal on Friday announced that the Congress-led UPA government will appoint a judge for the `snoopgate` commission before May 16, the day when the electoral outcome will be known.
Sibal`s statement was later confirmed by Shinde.
Asked whether the appointment of a judge in the midst of Lok Sabha elections would not amount to violation of the Model Code of Conduct, Shinde said, "It will not" as the decision had been taken more than four months ago by the Union Cabinet.
"I am worried. The way the Chief Minister of Gujarat had snooped into the life of a woman, I am really worried what will happen to the women of the country if he becomes the Prime Minister," he said.
Sibal, meanwhile, rubbished BJP leader Arun Jaitley`s claim that no judge will "lend" himself to the "political and malafide" exercise targeting Narendra Modi.
Sibal also said that Modi against whom accusations have been made in the controversy will be investigated.
"You will get a snoopgate judge before May 16. I don`t know why these people are so worried? Why leaders of BJP are worried and why they are making public statement that no judge should join this commission?," he said here.
The Congress leader said BJP is worried as its leaders know the fact that "once the commission is set up there is no saving for Narendra Modi."
"Because there is documentary evidence of what he (Modi) has done and how he has snooped the activities of a young girl," he said.
"....They are worried about the national commission set up by the Centre and I think, they should continue to be worried because the commission will be set up and he will be investigated and he will be brought to book," Sibal said.
The minister also questioned the Gujarat government- appointed snoopgate probe panel, saying, "It will never move forward" as it was appointed "by the Chief Minister who is sought to be prosecuted".
"It will never move forward, just like the Nanavati Commission. Twelve years have passed. We have not got any report. This is really the track record of the Gujarat government. So we don`t expect anything from the state government," he said.
Sibal`s statement comes a day after Jaitley hoped that no judge will "lend" himself to the "political and malafide" exercise keeping in view the cause of judicial dignity.
He had said that all the judges approached by UPA have refused to be part of the "desperate" exercise as the new government will be in place in a fortnight.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy termed as "foolish" Shinde`s move to appoint a judge to probe snoopgate and alleged that it was being done at the behest of top Congress leadership.
"....No enquiry can be ordered by any judicial authority when there is no complainant. Who is the complainant here? It can`t be Sushilkumar Shinde. It has to be the girl or father of the girl," he said, claiming that no court will take up the matter as no such move has been made by any affected party.
(With PTI inputs)
