Party leaders differ on position to take on events leading upto release of Warren Anderson; official statement likely soon

Bhopal puts Congress on a sticky wicket

Party leaders differ on position to take on events leading upto release of Warren Anderson; official statement likely soon

The Bhopal gas tragedy verdict is turning into a potential rabble-rouser among the Congress top brass, with reports emerging that a section of the party may actually be in agreement with senior leader Digvijay Singh's statements that appeared to indict the Rajiv Gandhi government.

After kicking up a storm by alleging that US pressure could have led to Anderson's escape from the city, under the leadership of Arjun Singh, then Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Digvijay Singh later retracted his statement, saying he was not in Bhopal at the time of the leak and didn't know what happened in the run up to the bail and release of Mr Anderson. "I was away campaigning. Arjun Singh and the then senior officials of the state government can answer questions. Rajiv Gandhi had rushed to Bhopal to meet the families of the victims," he added.

Obviously, the issue has cleaved the Congress leadership. Sources say there is a section in the party that feels there is no harm in apologising for a mistake and moving on. "The same thing was done in the case of operation Blue Star. In fact, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's public apology has helped in garnering Sikh votes. An apology will actually improve the position of the party," said a senior Congress leader.

Satyavrat Chaturvedi, senior Congress leader from Madhya Pradesh has added further fuel to the fire, saying that the Centre had no role to play in the matter, and the case was handled by the Arjun Singh-led Madhya Pradesh government.

The official party position seems to be stoic in the face of this internal verbiage. Janardan Dwivedi, party spokesperson says the party has already clarified its stand. "There is no question of the Rajiv Gandhi government being implicated. Digvijay Singh has explained his statement," he said. Party sources say an official statement will be issued in a couple of days. "The party is now waiting for Arjun Singh, the then Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister's response on the issue. He holds the key to the Warren Anderson release case," said another leader.

Moti Singh's (then-district collector of Bhopal) revelations, that he was asked by the state's chief secretary to take Anderson to the airport, from where he flew to Delhi and then to the US, threaten to make the murky issue an embarrassment for the Congress.

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