Prime Minister Manmohan Singh diffused the embarassment caused by the Supreme Court?s quashing of Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) PJ Thomas? appointment by admitting that he had erred, owning up responsibility for the decision.
The Opposition, in the form of leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, appeared quite ready to forgive, with Swaraj tweeting: ?I appreciate the statement of the Prime Minister owning responsibility for the appointment of CVC which has been quashed by the SC. I think this is enough. Let matters rest at this and we move forward.?
The Opposition?s attitude has come as a surprise and relief to the government as it struggled to run the Budget session of Parliament on Friday as well. The PM?s statement came in the evening during a press conference in Jammu. ?I take responsibility for the decision, and respect the observation of the SC,? he said. ?The first priority is to survive and then later when things quieten down to rebuild an image and influence and positive public opinion,? said one government manager. Nobody was sure who was behind the PM?s penitent statement, but the popular perception was that it was his own idea.
?When you admit to a mistake it disarms the Opposition. There was no other way out, looking at the way the SC had come down on the government,? said a senior minister.
Home secretary GK Pillai said that there was nothing more to be said on the matter of the appointment of the CVC after the SC stricture. ?The Supreme Court has deemed the appointment an illegality and thats the end of the matter. As of now the post of CVC lies vacant,? he said.
It is not clear however, whether the PM will be making a statement in Parliament on Monday as planned earlier. His statement in Jammu may yet have done the trick.
?(With agencies inputs from Jammu)