12-09-2005, 01:17 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> <b>Cong resorting to misinformation campaign on Volcker issue: BJP </b>
Pioneer News Service / New DelhiÂ
Firmly rejecting allegations of some NDA leaders' involvement in the Iraq Food-for-Oil kickback scam, the BJP on Thursday said the Congress was resorting to a misinformation campaign "to hide its corruption".
The party also took umbrage at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement describing Opposition's protest over the Government's inaction on the Volcker report revelations as "drama" and challenged him to prosecute those involved in the kickbacks.
"The allegation against NDA leaders is baseless. There is no mention of such kind in the Volcker report, which only mentions the name of Natwar Singh and Congress party," BJP general secretary and spokesman Arun Jaitley said.
He said such allegations by former foreign secretary and Congress functionary Romesh Bhandari were being levelled to enable the party "hide its corruption" and divert the attention from Volcker and Mitrokhin revelations.
"The Government may undertake any inquiry into the allegations," Mr Jaitley said, adding that if the Government wanted to expand the scope of inquiry by the Pathak Committee, the party would have no objection.
"But the probe into the issue should not be just for the sake of it," he said, demanding that a criminal case be filed against Natwar Singh and the Congress party without delay. The party also had a dig at the Prime Minister for his attack on Opposition.
<b>"It does not behove of a Prime Minister to criticise Opposition in this manner," BJP Parliamentary party spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra said. He wondered if the Prime Minister was working at the diktats of somebody.</b>
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>"The Prime Minister first gave a clean chit to Natwar Singh, then announced that he need not resign. Later, he stripped Natwar Singh off the portfolio. Thereafter he was removed from the party's Steering Committee, forcing him to step down from the Government. All this showed the Prime Minister's indecisiveness and incompetence,"</span> Mr Malhotra added.
 <!--emo&:roll--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ROTFL.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ROTFL.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>Citing a media report, the BJP leader said the Enforcement Directorate had traced three accounts - one each in Swiss, Jordan and Luxembourg banks - which amounted to Rs 528 crore, earned through the sale of crude oil vouchers received by the Congress and Natwar Singh in the Iraq oil scam.</b>
The ED submitted its report, he said and demanded that the Government must confirm or reject the report.
"The Opposition will not remain a mute spectator. The Congress is fully involved in the scam and its president Sonia Gandhi must resign," Mr Malhotra said, adding that "the Volcker issue is not closed".Â
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Pioneer News Service / New DelhiÂ
Firmly rejecting allegations of some NDA leaders' involvement in the Iraq Food-for-Oil kickback scam, the BJP on Thursday said the Congress was resorting to a misinformation campaign "to hide its corruption".
The party also took umbrage at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement describing Opposition's protest over the Government's inaction on the Volcker report revelations as "drama" and challenged him to prosecute those involved in the kickbacks.
"The allegation against NDA leaders is baseless. There is no mention of such kind in the Volcker report, which only mentions the name of Natwar Singh and Congress party," BJP general secretary and spokesman Arun Jaitley said.
He said such allegations by former foreign secretary and Congress functionary Romesh Bhandari were being levelled to enable the party "hide its corruption" and divert the attention from Volcker and Mitrokhin revelations.
"The Government may undertake any inquiry into the allegations," Mr Jaitley said, adding that if the Government wanted to expand the scope of inquiry by the Pathak Committee, the party would have no objection.
"But the probe into the issue should not be just for the sake of it," he said, demanding that a criminal case be filed against Natwar Singh and the Congress party without delay. The party also had a dig at the Prime Minister for his attack on Opposition.
<b>"It does not behove of a Prime Minister to criticise Opposition in this manner," BJP Parliamentary party spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra said. He wondered if the Prime Minister was working at the diktats of somebody.</b>
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>"The Prime Minister first gave a clean chit to Natwar Singh, then announced that he need not resign. Later, he stripped Natwar Singh off the portfolio. Thereafter he was removed from the party's Steering Committee, forcing him to step down from the Government. All this showed the Prime Minister's indecisiveness and incompetence,"</span> Mr Malhotra added.
 <!--emo&:roll--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ROTFL.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ROTFL.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>Citing a media report, the BJP leader said the Enforcement Directorate had traced three accounts - one each in Swiss, Jordan and Luxembourg banks - which amounted to Rs 528 crore, earned through the sale of crude oil vouchers received by the Congress and Natwar Singh in the Iraq oil scam.</b>
The ED submitted its report, he said and demanded that the Government must confirm or reject the report.
"The Opposition will not remain a mute spectator. The Congress is fully involved in the scam and its president Sonia Gandhi must resign," Mr Malhotra said, adding that "the Volcker issue is not closed".Â
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