Apologise or face action for violation of oath of secrecy: Jakhar to Modi

New Delhi, December 20, 2017: Lok Sabha member from Gurdaspur, Sunil Jakhar, on Wednesday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the violation of his Oath of Secrecy with his public statement about an alleged conspiracy against the nation.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha amid Opposition protests against the derogatory remarks of the prime minister about his predecessor Dr Manmohan Singh, Jakhar said that considering the serious nature of the charges, Modi was bound by his oath of secrecy not to disclose such sensitive information in public.
The oath of secrecy clearly bars a minister, including the prime minister, from revealing to any person or persons any matter brought under his consideration, except as may be required for the due discharge of duty, Jakhar, who later spoke to mediapersons also on the issue, pointed out.
Jakhar, who heads the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), further said that if the prime minister had no information about any meeting of the kind he has alleged and had made the remarks against Dr Singh only to further his political agenda, then he should apologise unequivocally for the same.
As prime minister, Modi is duty bound to maintain Constitutional propriety and political decorum, and not to indulge in petty politicking to promote his vested interests, said Jakhar. Raising doubts about the nationalist credentials of a former prime minister amounts to serious deviation from Constitutional ethics and cannot be condoned, he added.
Either the prime minister should apologise for making false allegations or face action for violating the oath of secrecy, Jakhar asserted, adding that this was too grave an issue to be brushed under the carpet.
By questioning the integrity of Dr. Singh, Modi has brought Indian politics to a new low, which he needs to explain to the people of the country, Jakhar further said.