New Delhi, April 19: The Home Ministry on Monday put the ball in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s court for deciding the fate of Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Iqbal Singh, facing allegations of links with tax swindler Hasan Ali.
Sources said the Home Ministry has forwarded to the PMO the Enforcement Directorate’s request to record the statement of the L-G, along with the explanations given by him defending his recommendation letter for issuing a passport to Ali in 1997.
For its part, the Congress distanced itself from the controversy saying that the matter is between the Government and its constitutional functionary and the issue of resigning should be left to Singh’s “conscience.”
Earlier, Home Minister P Chidambaram told mediapersons that the Government was “working out the modalities” of the ED’s request to “examine” Iqbal Singh. “The L-G is willing to make a statement to the Enforcement Directorate. The Home Secretary is working out modalities which will be ready by two days,” he told reporters here after Singh met him. He, however, evaded questions on the morality of Singh’s continuance in the post of L-G after the ED’s request to question him.
The L-G preferred to be evasive to media queries. “I am still the L-G. I am now going to Puducherry,” he said emerging out from the Home Ministry after meeting Chidambaram. This was Singh’s second meeting with Chidambaram in the last four days.
Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said, “We leave it to his (Singh) conscience. The matter is between him and the Government. It is between the constitutional functionary and the Government.”
When pointed out that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has already removed a senior official in connection with the case, Tewari said that an officer and a person holding a constitutional post cannot be compared. Asked how long the Congress would shield the L-G who is a former AICC secretary, Tewari said when a political person holds a constitutional or gubernatorial position he becomes politically neutral.
In Mumbai, ED sleuths jointly grilled Kashinath Tapuriah, a key aide of Hasan Ali, and Bihar Congress leader Amlendu Pandey. The duo was made to “confront” each other and “grilled” jointly on various aspects, sources said. Pandey is under the scanner for allegedly helping Khan procure a passport from Patna through Iqbal Singh.
Singh has admitted to have recommended expeditious issue of passport to Ali but claimed he never knew him.
–Agencies–