New Delhi: Congress appears to be in no mood to concede to the opposition demand for the resignation of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson PJ Kurien maintaining that law will take its course in the Suryanelli rape case.
A senior party leader, who declined to be identified, said the party was being guided by the views of Defence Minister AK Antony, a senior leader hailing from Kerala, who has been insisting that due process of law was followed in the matter.
Antony has said that the Suryanelli case came up when he was the Chief Minister. The investigation was handed over to the Crime Branch as soon as the complaint was received.
"No evidence was found against PJ Kurien in the investigation. After this, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) ruled for 10 years and the United Democratic Front (UDF) for seven years. Investigations were conducted twice into Prof. Kurien’s involvement during EK Nayanar’s tenure. Still, no evidence could be gathered against him,” Antony had said.
The Congress leader said that, as pointed out by Antony, the government has received one more complaint following the Supreme Court verdict in the case. "The complaint will be examined and appropriate action will be taken".
The remarks of the senior Congress leader came on a day when Kurien has written to Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Chairman of the Upper House Hamid Ansari explaining his position and calling it a political conspiracy against him.
He is understood to have explained in the letter the judgements of various courts, which "exonerated" him in the case.
It also came on a day when BJP demanded his resignation on moral grounds.
"New revelations everyday in the Suryanelli rape case has made Kurien`s position as Deputy Chairperson of Rajya Sabha untenable. BJP, after consulting its state unit, demands that on moral grounds he should quit office till he is absolved of the charges," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.
PTI
