Forget Srikrishna panel report, says Joshi

MUMBAI, April 21: After repeated assurances and denials, the State Government has finally ruled out tabling the much-awaited Srikrishna Comm...

MUMBAI, April 21: After repeated assurances and denials, the State Government has finally ruled out tabling the much-awaited Srikrishna Commission report on the 1992-93 Mumbai riots during the current session of the State Legislature. Though the Chief Minister Manohar Joshi blamed the delay on logistical reasons and its potential implications while announcing the decision on the floor of Assembly, the Opposition protested the move vehemently with noisy walkouts in both the Houses.

"The report is very big. In view of its scope, the subject’s sensitivity and the likely impact on the recommendations made by the commission on different sections of society and also the time required to translate the report into Marathi, it will not be possible to table the report during the on-going budget session," Chief Minister Manohar Joshi told the Legislative Assembly.

The Chief Minister’s announcement prompted the Congress-led Opposition members to stage a walkout to protest against the chief minister’s refusal.Joshisaid his government has already constituted a high-level seven-member committee headed by Chief Secretary P Subrahmanian to draft the Action Taken Report (ATR).

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He reiterated that he had neither promised the Lower House nor the Upper House that his government would table the report on April 20 as has been claimed by the Opposition.

"I had only assured that I will try to submit the report before April 20 if the ATR is ready," he said.

Under the provisions of the Commission of Inquiry Act, it is binding on the state government to submit the report along with the ATR within six months of the date of submission to the government, he explained. Earlier, Samajwadi Party members led by Bashir Patel and Nawab Malik rushed to the podium, insisting that the report be tabled as per Joshi’s alleged assurance on the April 20 deadline.

Supporting them, leader of the Opposition Madhukar Pichad alleged that the alliance government is misleading the House by not tabling the report as promised.

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