BJP reiterates demand for JPC probe into CWG, 2G scams

MUMBAI - Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari Thursday called upon Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to break his “silence” over the Commonwealth Games and 2G spectrum scams, and concede the opposition demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe.

Addressing media persons here, Gadkari also urged the prime minister to reply to the nine other questions posed by him (Gadkari) regarding the CWG scam, including one on the role of an aide of Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi.

“What are the connections of Kanishk Singh, a close aide of Mr.Rahul Gandhi, with the proprietors of the EMAAR MGF, the company which built filthy CWG flats?” Gadkari asked.

“At whose instance did the Delhi Development Authority shell out a bailout package of Rs.750 crore plus Rs.827 crore for the international zone? Don’t you think merely invoking EMAAR MGF bank guarantee for not fulfilling the responsibility is only an eye-wash to absolve Rahul Gandhi’s aide Kanishk Singh and his family?” Gadkari asked.

The BJP chief demanded to know why no criminal action had been initiated against Prasar Bharti CEO B.S. Lalli, who sanctioned Rs.256 crore for the CWG telecast rights to a Britain-based firm, SIS Live, which had a fake registration number and no service tax number.

Gadkari claimed that Lalli overruled strong objections by the finance ministry to push the deal.

He also raised questions why the UPA government has kept mum on the findings of the income tax department, which had specifically asked Prasar Bharti to freeze all future payments to SIS when it froze the company’s bank account at the Royal Bank of Scotland in Mumbai.

“When IT officials surveyed the SIS Live’s office in Delhi, they found that it had neither maintained any accounts nor kept any bills. Further, the IT report observed that SIS Live was formed ’solely with the purpose of implementing the CWG contract and the assessee was not likely to remain in India’,” Gadkari said.

Besides other issues, Gadkari also questioned the wisdom behind hiking the CWG overlays from Rs 126 crore to Rs.687 crore and the advance of Rs.1,669.42 crore to the Organising Committee.

He said the CWG has generated a paltry revenue of Rs.39.16 crore from tickets and less than half of the sponsorships revenue worth Rs.375 crore had been recovered so far.