Congress puts onus of Bhopal tragedy on Arjun Singh

The Congress jumped into action as it found former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's name was being dragged into the ongoing controversy over Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson's disappearance from the country in December 1984 after a gas leak from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal killed tens of thousands of people.

The party, however, avoided defending then Madhya Pradesh chief minister Arjun Singh, a Gandhi family loyalist, after media reports revealed that a telephone call from the chief minister's office ensured safe passage for Anderson out of Bhopal after his arrest.

With the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Left parties raising the political temperature against the Congress, the party tried to put the onus on Arjun Singh. "I categorically deny involvement of the (then) central government (headed by Rajiv Gandhi)," Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan told reporters in New Delhi.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, meanwhile, shot a letter to Arjun Singh today asking him to clarify his stand and clearly say what was his compulsion behind ensuring Anderson's exit.

"The nation has been waiting for the last 72 hours for you to reveal the name of the person who asked you to arrange the release of Warren Anderson immediately following his arrest on December 7, 1984... On the behalf of the people of Madhya Pradesh, I urge you not to hold back the truth any longer," the chief minister said in his letter to Arjun Singh.

Janardan Dwivedi, the party's chief spokesman, maintained that people who were in responsible position must clarify their position. "All questions which are raised, need to be answered," he added.

The party also brushed aside senior leader and party general secretary Digvijay Singh's recent comments that Anderson was 'set free' because of "US pressure". Natarajan said Singh had already explained his statement and the question of indicting anyone did not arise.

"There is no question of the Rajiv Gandhi government being implicated. Digvijay Singh has explained his statement," she added.

The Congress also tried to shield other questions on the newly-constituted Group of Ministers (GoM) on the Bhopal issue. After the trial court verdict on the gas leak case came out, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh formed the GoM headed by Home Minister P Chidambaram to look into possible actions that could be taken by the government.

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (CPI) demanded that the Congress should clear its position on the Anderson issue. "As is the practice in the Congress, they always try to catch a scapegoat. They are experts. It is their practice to cover up the guilt at the Centre. The Congress at the Centre and in the state are both responsible for what has happened," CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan told reporters in New Delhi.

The CPI leadership also demanded the government should try to get back US-based Anderson and make him face legal proceedings in the country.