We are not hiding anything on Bhopal disaster: Manmohan
By Arvind Padmanabhan, IANSTuesday, June 29, 2010
ON BOARD AIR INDIA ONE - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday said his government was hiding nothing on the aftermath of the Bhopal gas disaster and hoped the US will extradite then Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson.
“We are where we stand. We will try to ensure that the US government takes a more favourable attitude towards extradition,” the prime minister said when asked if Anderson’s extradition will be sought.
“But we have not approached them (US) yet. I did not raise this issue in my discussions with President (Barack) Obama. We will cross the bridge when we reach there.”
Anderson, former chief of Union Carbide, was named a proclaimed offender by a Bhopal court, which June 7 convicted him and seven others for criminal neglect in the 1984 tragedy - the worst industrial disaster that killed thousands and left several thousands maimed.
The fact that Anderson had visited India soon after the Dec 2-3, 1984 disaster and was given safe passage back home has outraged many.
The government re-constituted a panel under Home Minister P. Chidambaram to look at all aspects.
“What is the reality? We are not hiding anything. I think the group of ministers has looked at records. There is nothing they have come across by way of the definite findings as to who took the decision,” he said.
“Those records are not available now.”
This was the last question answered by the prime minister, who otherwise looked rather cheerful despite a hectic schedule in Toronto where he attended the G20 Summit and met with a host of leaders.
(Arvind Padmanabhan can be contacted at arvind.p@ians.in)
