Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Khurshid denies charges, has spat with reporters

Khurshid denies charges, has spat with reporters

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Oct 15, 2012   modified Modified on Oct 15, 2012
-The Times of India

Union law minister Salman Khurshid on Sunday fiercely quarreled with reporters of a TV channel, disputing their claim that his NGO Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust had embezzled public funds meant for the disabled.

The minister countered the allegation that his trust made fake claims of having organized camps for distribution of equipment among the differently abled. A spirited Khurshid, with wife Louise by his side, attributed motives to the channel, disclosed that he had done a "reverse sting" on the reporters and dropped hints that the media outlet against which he has already filed a defamation suit may be sued abroad as well.

Khurshid also said that pushed to the wall, he had to resort to unconventional measures, the results of which he would soon produce to expose the conspiracy. "Marta kya na karta (I was left with no option)," he said.

But the reporters retaliated by insisting that the minister had evaded answering the key issue of whether Louise and others involved with the trust submitted affidavits and certificates with forged signatures attesting to the successful implementation of the central scheme.

The reporters claimed that UP officials have written to the state government that their signatures on the affidavits and documents that the trust submitted to the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment were forged.

The Congress, however, stood behind Khurshid, with party spokesperson Manish Tewari saying, "The law minister has wisely chosen the legal course. At the end of the day, the ultimate analysis, what really matters is the judicial adjudication."

Khurshid's interaction earlier had turned into an unusual slanging match between the minister, whose supporters booed the channel, and reporters, throwing light on the evolving dynamic between the political class and the feisty electronic media.

Anti-corruption activist Arvind Kejriwal later in the evening alleged that one of the photographs flashed by Khurshid was of a later date, ensuring that the debate is far from settled. In fact, Kejriwal threatened to unleash more documents on Monday to "expose" the law minister.

Khurshid, who arrived from London to a rather hot reception by Kejriwal's supporters who have demanded his resignation over the "scam", denied the allegation that camps where the trust claimed to have distributed equipment among the disabled were not held. He produced photographs, newspaper clippings and eyewitnesses -- former cricketer and Congress MP Mohammad Azharuddin included -- to back up his contention that camps were held, and said this sufficed to settle the "core issue" of whether there was a scam.

The pictures included those of J B Singh, whom the channel has cited as one of the UP officers to allege that camps were not held. "These pictures are of J B Singh giving certificates at a camp organized by the trust. These are not morphed pictures," a triumphant Khurshid said.

In the course of the interaction, the minister presented Rangi Mistri, a hearing-impaired man from Farukhabad. When contacted by the channel earlier, Mistri had disputed the trust's claim that he got a hearing aid from them. On Sunday, Mistri said he had lied to the channel because he wanted a replacement for his defective device, leading to cheers from the minister, his wife and supporters.

The suave minister, who has been using colourful expressions against those alleging the scam, lost his cool several times during the marathon interaction stretching to more than 100 minutes, while his supporters booed the channel's reporters. He made no bones of his disgust with the channel, saying he had no intention of inviting its reporters for his press conference but eventually bowed to the majority opinion of the media since he was a "democrat".

Khurshid rejected the demand for his resignation, and said he would agree to face an independent inquiry only if the managing editor of the channel was also covered. His wife, who is the project director of the trust, aggressively rebutted the charges, frequently getting up to make her point forcefully.

It was a masterly start, with Khurshid packing in sarcasm and aggression as he recalled how he had been working for the disabled even before he entered public life.

However, it soon turned into a high-voltage skirmish between him and the reporters of the channel who pressed him to answer other features of the scam. The reporters defied the "ground rule" set by the minister as they insisted on asking questions beyond the "core issue" of whether the trust actually organized camps for the differently abled population.

The channel's reporters, who were soon joined by others, asked the minister about the affidavits and utilization certificates attesting to the satisfactory implementation of the centrally-sponsored scheme which were submitted by the trust. They would not abide by Khurshid's "ground rule" that the questions be limited to the "core issue" of whether camps were held, and refused to buy the argument of the minister and his wife that it was they who had sought an inquiry into "forged signatures". The reporters said Louise approached the UP government on September 17 after her reaction was sought on the forged affidavits.

Khurshid and Louise disputed the CAG's inspection report saying the auditor's "preliminary report", which talked of irregularities, was prepared without incorporating their version. The law minister mocked CAG officials for their claim that their efforts to contact the trust did not succeed because they could not find anyone at its registered address.

Apart from pointing out that his old parents and sisters lived at the same address, the minister also referred to CAG being his neighbour on Kushak Road. "He just has to look across the wall to find me," Khurshid said.

Louise said there were different stages in execution of such projects -- first a camp was organized to identify beneficiaries and the kind of disability they suffered from, verified by doctors. Accordingly, a project report was made and submitted to the government for grant and later, at another camp, equipment was distributed to those eligible.

Referring to CAG's draft report, she said equipment was purchased after assessment camps were held. The CAG did not take this into account, she added.

The Times of India, 15 October, 2012, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Khurshid-denies-charges-has-spat-with-reporters/articleshow/16814497.cms

Tagged with: Corruption



Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

Im4Change.org हिंदी वेबसाइट का परिचय. Short Video on im4change.org...

Im4Change.org हिंदी वेबसाइट का परिचय. Short Video on im4change.org...

"Session 1: Scope of IDEA and AgriStack" in Exploring...

"Session 2: Farmer Centric Digitalisation in Agriculture" in Exploring...

"Session 3: Future of Digitalisation in Agriculture" in Exploring...

Objectives | About Us | Workshops | Disclaimer
share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close