NEW DELHI: In a confrontation that could throw the ruling party in the Capital into turmoil, Congress Chief Whip Ramakant Goswami on Thursday evening issued a three-line whip asking the party MLAs to vote against the Public Accounts Committee report on the Rs. 150-crore smart card scam that had recommended a CBI probe into the whole deal.

What has further aggravated the situation is the decision of a large number of party MLAs to break the whip and vote in favour of passage of the report that was tabled in the Delhi Assembly on Thursday by its Chairman S. C. Vats.

The issue is not only likely to generate a debate on the issue of corruption and its endorsement by the Delhi Government but also put the party in a soup if the rebel Congress legislators go ahead and vote against the whip. Interestingly, the whip has come at the instructions of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit who has come under pressure after the tabling of the PAC report on multi-crore scam in power privatisation process.

Insiders in the party were of the view that the party high command had not been taken into confidence before issuing the whip which was violative of Congress president Sonia Gandhi's directive for "zero tolerance'' on issues of corruption.

"If the party high command directs us to vote for covering up corruption we will not hesitate even once and endorse the whip. But if it is being done to favour of private company that has been indicted by the PAC for scam in issue of smart cards, then we will violate the whip and are ready to face the consequences as Ms. Gandhi has never favoured promotion of corrupt as was being done by misusing such powers,'' a senior MLA stated soon after their meeting at the Old Secretariat complex late on Thursday evening.

The rebel MLAs have by and large remained clam during this session and have cooperated with the Government on various issues.

It is also not known if DPCC president Ram Babu Sharma has been taken into confidence on the issue.

The three-line whip states that all members are required to vote against the passage of the fourth report of the PAC on smart card.

"The issue of the private company offering bribes to the MLAs and members of the PAC for not allowing adoption of the report rocked the Delhi Assembly. These are serious allegations of corruption and the Chief Minister has decided to overlook these issues and side with those who have been accused of corruption and wrongdoing. The Lieutenant-Governor has already ordered an inquiry into the whole affair and issuing a whip certainly shows the Delhi Government in poor light,'' a senior Minister stated.

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