New Delhi, June 15: With the raging political storm over Bhopal gas tragedy showing no signs of abating, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today sought to do some damage control by directing the reconstituted Group of Ministers to meet immediately and prepare a report in 10 days.
The GoM, headed by Home Minister P Chidambaram, has been asked to assess the options and remedies available to the government in the light of the Bhopal court”s verdict in the gas tragedy case.
It is expected to meet on Thursday or Friday. “The Prime Minister has directed that the GoM headed by Home Minister and constituted to look into all issues relating to Bhopal gas disaster, may meet immediately to take stock of the situation arising out of the recent court judgement to assess the options and remedies available to the government on the various issues involved and to report to the Cabinet within ten days,” a PMO spokesman said.
The GoM was reconstituted last week to go into a range of issues including the relief and rehabilitation of victims and their families. It is expected to consider the Anderson issue as well as who should be made to pay for the massive clean-up exercise required at the now-defunct Carbide plant which still has a huge quantity of toxic waste that could endanger Bhopal”s safety.
The Congress party is facing heat since last Monday”s verdict by a Bhopal court which has led to questions over the way its government in Madhya Pradesh as well as at the Centre had handled the exit of Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson and also the light punishment for the accused. The Prime Minister”s decision came even as the BJP and the Congress engaged in a fresh war of words.
The BJP attacked the Congress for its criticism of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi”s demand that the UPA government come clean over the gas tragedy. “I do not think it is wrong to ask the Congress President and the Congress government to reveal the ”maut ke saudagar”(merchants of death) behind the Bhopal tragedy,” BJP spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy said at a press conference here.
-PTI