Saturday, November 5 2005 18:25 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Congress today (Nov 5, 2005) accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) of 'politicising' the issues arising out of the Volcker committee report saying its decision to approach the President for removal of External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh showed that it was 'fishing in shallow waters'.

"Since they are short of issues, they do politics with every issue without bothering to study ramifications on the image of the country," party General Secretary Ambika Soni said when asked to react on the NDA move. Soni dismissed as 'false and baseless' allegations that party chief Sonia Gandhi had written a letter to the Iraqi President on the oil-for-food programme.

"I categorically deny any such insinuation that the Congress President at any stage wrote a letter which could be construed as a request for any favour of any kind whatsoever", she said.

Meanwhile, party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi dismissed reports suggesting that the Congress would be suing the United Nations in the wake of the Volcker report, which has held the party as also Natwar Singh as beneficiaries in the Iraqi oil deals.

"We may sue Volcker, we may sue an individual or we may not sue", he said when asked about the reservations expressed by Natwar Singh on issuing a legal notice to the UN.

Noting that the party's position had not been understood in the proper perspective, Singhvi said that Congress and Government wanted the U N to send all material, documents and evidence they have. "That only is the legal notice".

Secondly, if they failed to produce it, "We will ask them to apologise", he said adding that if they produce the material, on its basis, it would be decided what action to taken.