Congress sidelines ethics committee, stands by Kurien
Our Political Bureau
The Economic Times
May 11, 1999
Title: Congress sidelines ethics committee, stands by Kurien
Author: Our Political Bureau
Publication: The Economic Times
Date: May 11, 1999
Clearly, giving the wink to the party's ethics committee set up with
much fanfare after the Pachmarhi conclave, Congress president Sonia
Gandhi on Monday signalled her support to senior leader and former
party chief whip in Lok Sabha, P J Kurien who is currently embroiled
in a controversy after being summoned by a Kerala court as an accused
in the 1996 Suryanelli sex scandal.
The party today came out in defence of Mr Kurien at the official press
briefing where Mr Vyalar Ravi, the former president of Kerala Pradesh
Congress Committee, even went to the extent of pro-claiming Mr Kurien
as "not guilty". Mr Ravi's enthusiasm to plead the case of his
colleague could invite contempt proceedings against him, it was
pointed out by party circles. "The case is politically motivated.
False allegations have been made out against Mr Kurien He is not
guilty. He is not even an accused in the case," Mr Ravi claimed.
The former KPCC president also maintained that Mr Kurien could not be
brought under the scrutiny of the ethics committee for the precise
reason that it was a false charge against him. It, however, seemed
that the party's formal backing of Mr Kurien rather militated against
the recommendations of the ethics committee, which had been set up by
Ms Gandhi following the Pachmarhi conclave, to look into cases of
immoral behaviour by Congressmen. The panel, with former Kerala chief
minister AK Antony heading it, has Manmohan Singh and Ahmed Patel as
its members.
The refusal on the part of Ms Gandhi to direct the Anthony ethics
committee to go into the merits of the case clearly indicates that she
has given a clean chit to Mr Kurien. After being appointed the party
chief whip in the now dissolved 12th Lok Sabha, Mr Kurien had gained
prominence, with his stock soaring high under the new dispensation
Perceived to be particularly close to Ms Gandhi's personal secretary,
Vincent George, he had played a major role during the recent political
crisis where he was part of the select group involved in strategy and
planning.
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