New Stating that the charges levelled by Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy in parliament against senior Congress leaders, including president Sonia Gandhi, were unauthenticated and that Swamy allegedly submitted a “printout” of a website report to level allegations, Congress MP Shantaram Naik today gave a notice on Tuesday for breach of privilege against the BJP leader.
In his notice addressed to Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari, the Congress leader said: “Since Swamy has authenticated a website page printout, in which the names of Sonia Gandhi, Ahmed Patel, Oscar Fernandes have been mentioned, it means and implies that the very allegations are made by Swamy also.”
“Swamy did not authenticate any letter from Christian Michel (alleged British middleman and prime accused in the AgustaWestland chopper bribery case) as he was not in possession of any such letter.”
Naik gave the notice under rules 187 and 188 of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States and appealed to the Rajya Sabha Chairman that it be admitted and referred to the Privileges Committee for “appropriate” action against Swamy.
“Swamy mischievously quoted abbreviations AP and said he is a political secretary... All these innuendos amply insinuate a particular specific person most irresponsibly and without authenticating any document.
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“Swamy did not produce any certified copy of the judgment on which he relied extensively, which he should have done and authenticated,” Naik said in the notice. AP, it was alleged, stood for Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Referring to an interview of Italian judge Marco Maria Maiga by a news channel on the issue, the Congress leader said “Swamy relied on the transcript of this interview”.
“Swamy mischievously relied on and authenticated an inadmissible document, by all standards, to misguide the House, thereby committing another breach of privilege,” he said.
Making clear the party’s intent to move a privilege motion against Swamy, Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh had a few days back said: “Swamy has made baseless allegations and spoken big lies in Rajya Sabha on May 4. We will not allow him to go scot-free.”
Three days after Swamy tweeted that the Upper House has approved his authenticated documents on the AgustaWestland issue, deputy chairperson PJ Kurien said the papers were only tabled and had not been approved by him or by chairperson Hamid Ansari.
The authentication of the documents had become an issue during the discussion in Parliament recently. The Congress wanted to know how Swamy had access to “sensitive” documents that he had quoted from. After Congress’ protests, Kurien asked Swamy to authenticate the documents.
