The Congress on Monday put the BJP in the dock asking the saffron party to explain what steps were taken by the NDA government to extradite Warren Anderson.
“The BJP should explain why its then solicitor-general Soli Sorabjee gave one opinion in 2001 and then subsequently backtracked to say that Warren Anderson could not be extradited, based on the legal opinion obtained by the NDA government from a American law firm,” party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said.
She further said that Mr Sorabjee is also on record to state that it was officers deputed by the NDA government who strongly advised him that they were not in possession of sufficient material against Mr Anderson and hence could not satisfy conditions for extradition from the USA as stipulated by the US law firm.
Mr Sorabjee states that this is the reason why the extradition of Mr Anderson was not seriously pursued by the NDA government. “The BJP should explain to the nation why their government betrayed the victims of Bhopal in this fashion,” she asked.
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BJP asks GoM to go through every detail
AGE CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi
June 14: The main Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday asked the GoM constituted over Bhopal gas tragedy, to go into every details of the case, including how Warren Anderson was allowed to leave the country.
Party’s national spokesperson, Rajiv Pratap Rudy said, “We understand that Anderson needed to be taken away from Madhya Pradesh. There were other states where he could have been taken. What was the need to send him abroad.”
Mr Rudy said it would be impossible to believe that Mr Anderson left the country without the knowledge of the then external affairs minister, a portfolio held by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
The party also attacked the Congress for its criticism of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s demand that the UPA government must come clean over the Bhopal gas tragedy.