Attorney General G E Vahanvati finally let the cat out of the bag when he told the Supreme Court that correct information about a pending chargesheet against the present Chief Vigilance Commissioner P J Thomas in the palmolein import case in Kerala had not been presented before the selection committee comprising the prime minister, the home minister and the leader of the opposition. The truth, it seems, is as simple as that: a case of sheer incompetence on the part of the ministry and the minister concerned. Guess who was responsible for the goof-up? The then minister for personnel Prithviraj Chavan. Lucky Mr Chavan. Rather than get his comeuppance, he got a leg-up as chief minister of Maharashtra just before the Thomas affair hit the headlines.
...and the other goof-up
The CVC file goof-up was not the only one of Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan’s legacies that others are now cleaning up in New Delhi. The Union government is busy drafting the “rules” pertaining to nuclear liability to make amends for the goof-up in drafting the legislation. On both scores, Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj has had the last laugh.
