Bid to divert attention: Cong.

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MARCH 22. The Congress today continued its defence of Mr. Vincent George, private secretary to the party president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, and questioned the timing of the CBI First Information Report. ``The idea behind the move to file a first information report is to divert attention from the Tehelka expose,'' said the party spokesperson, Mr. S. Jaipal Reddy.

The Congress termed the move a ``vendetta'', emphasising on the timing of the CBI action, coming as it did in the midst of the Tehelka expose. The party also sought to cover its flanks, saying it was in favour of the ``law taking its course''.

The position is in line with the Congress stand in the case of the AIADMK's Ms. Jayalalitha and the former Bihar Chief Minister, Mr. Laloo Prasad Yadav. In both cases, the party had said a mere FIR was not enough to prove a person guilty, and that it would wait for the court verdict before taking a final position. It sought to differentiate between those involved in the Tehelka expose and Mr. Vincent George. ``Here the guilt has to be proven, while those people were seen accepting money and have also confessed to having done so,'' said Mr. Reddy.

The Congress believes the Government has acted against Mr. George purely to try and pressure its president, and therefore it must resists the attempt. Even those critical of the functioning of Mr. George, because of the timing of the FIR, believe action against him at this stage would amount to the Government's confession of guilt.

The Congress leaders in different ways continued to make the point that it was the Government and not the Congress which was adopting double standards.

The party also rejected the BJP demand that the Congress president take moral responsibility for the case. It was pointed out that unlike Mr. Brajesh Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. George was a Congress employee working in the party president's office, and was not paid a salary by the Government unlike Mr. Mishra.

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