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ShareKolkata: Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee today backed the government stand that there was no leakage of the Liberhan Commission report on the demolition of the Babri Masjid, terming Union home minister P Chidambaram's statement on the issue as "pertinent".
"I think that Chidambaram has very pertinently said that he is not such a fool as to leak a part of it (the report) and invite problem inside the House," Chatterjee told reporters on the sidelines of a programme in the state Assembly.
"He (Chidambaram) has said that there is only one copy of the report with the government, which is well protected," Chatterjee said.
"There are other copies with the commission available, with their staff, officers and so many people. There are some astute journalists like you too," the former Lok Sabha speaker commented.
Asked to comment on opposition parties attacking the government over the leakage, which they alleged amounted to breach of privilege of the House, Chatterjee said, "I do not know if it is a breach of privilege".
"This is a very sensitive matter before Parliament and I should not make any comment," he said.
West Bengal Assembly speaker Hasim Abdul Halim, who was standing beside Chatterjee, said, "Whether it has been leaked or not it has not been confirmed. Only after the report is tabled in Parliament that it will be known whether there was a
leakage. Unless the report is laid in the House, how do you know the contents of it? It is too early to comment."
Chatterjee said, "Let the government place the report and the follow up action is taken. Whatever action would be taken depend on so many things."
"It is not just a simple undesirable activity to put it very mildly. It involves a question of the relation between different communities and different individuals and whether a structure like the Babri Masjid could have been demolished. The government has to decide on steps to prevent recurrence of such a situation in future," he said.
The former Lok Sabha Speaker said no doubt Parliament would consider the matter when it came up before it and the members would give their suggestions.
"But primarily it is for the government to take a decision on what action it would like to take. It may reject the report. There are many occasions when reports have been rejected or partially accepted," Chatterjee said.
