No Substitute for Investigation

Discussion is no substitute for investigation

SHRI SITARAM YECHURY: Why is the Minister disrupting? ...(Interruptions)... Sir, in the intervening period, serious allegations of corruption have come. They have come against the Minister for External Affairs here, come against some Chief Ministers of the States and these are serious allegations that have come. We are asking the Government of the day, let there be a high-level enquiry constituted to enquire into these serious allegations. And, on that basis, till that enquiry is over, let these people demit office or they are to be removed from office. Sir, that was the yardstick. Sir, when they were sitting there as the Opposition and when the Leader of the House today was the Leader of the Opposition and when the Leader of the Opposition today was the Minister in the then Government, from this very place, Sir, I supported the then Leader of the Opposition when he said that a discussion in the House is not a substitute for investigation. We are not investigators; investigation has to be done by the investigating agency and in order to ensure the impartiality of the investigation, the people against whom allegations are there should not remain in office and they have to resign. ...(Interruptions)... And then, a discussion is possible. ...(Interruptions)... For that, we kept this Parliament not functioning for one whole Winter Session in December 2010. ...(Interruptions)... Therefore, Sir, applying the same yardstick, order an investigation and till that investigation is completed, the Minister for External Affairs, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan and the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh should not remain in office. They should be removed. Only then can we have a meaningful discussion. ...(Interruptions)... Discussion is no substitute for investigation. ...(Interruptions)...

My last point is that these are all matters of grave importance. ...(Interruptions)... Sir, these are matters of grave importance. ...(Interruptions)... Mr. Deputy Chairman, Sir, by not extending the same yardstick that they demanded when they were in the Opposition ...(Interruptions)... By not accepting that, they are preventing a proper discussion in the House. ...(Interruptions)...
A proper discussion in the House is today being prevented by the obduracy of the ruling Party. ...(Interruptions)...
By preventing the discussion, they are disrupting the House. ...(Interruptions)...
They can accept a high-level enquiry and removal of them from their positions. ...(Interruptions)... They should accept this. ...(Interruptions)...