Congress: no action for now against ministers

IANS/New DelhiThe ruling Congress yesterday backed Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and Law Minister Ashwani Kumar, and said no action will be taken against them immediately.“There is a probe going on, let the result come. We will decide after that,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari told reporters after a meeting of the Congress core group at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s official residence here.On Ashwani Kumar, he said the matter is in court and a decision will be taken after the Supreme Court’s decision.However, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party said it will keep pressing for the ouster of the two ministers which, it hoped, will eventually lead to the prime minister’s resignation.Ashwani Kumar is facing fire for vetting a Central Bureau of Investigation report on the coal block allocations scam.The opposition is also baying for the blood of Bansal after his nephew was arrested for taking a Rs9mn bribe from a senior railway official.“We are putting forward this demand on behalf of the people of India. Whether it is Pawan Bansal or Ashwani Kumar, they are trying to save them because they know, as soon as these ministers are out, the prime minister will be in direct line of fire,” BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said.He also slammed the Congress for having double-standards when it came to allegations of corruption against allies.“Are their two standards for corruption for Congress ministers and allies? A Raja (former telecom minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader) was made to resign, and that was the right thing to do, but why does Congress have this double standards,” he asked.Launching a direct attack against the prime minister, Prasad said: “It was said about the prime minister that he is a great economist and an honest person. We have seen the state of economy, and why is it that India has become one of the most corrupt countries under his tenure.”“There is no morality left in this government,” he added.Another BJP leader demanded that the CBI interrogate Bansal.Satya Pal Jain produced documents to claim that Bansal and his family had close business links with his nephew Vijay Singla, who was arrested by the CBI on Saturday.