BJP wants Ratan Tata to name Minister demanding bribe (Re-issue)

PATNA - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday urged Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata to name the Minister, who wanted his company to give a bribe to permit the setting up a domestic airline.

BJP spokesperson and Bhagalpur MP Shahnawaz Hussain said that it would be in the good interest for country if Ratan Tata discloses the name of the Minister.

Mr Shanawaz Hussain told reporters here that it would be in the interest of the country that Ratan Tata should disclose the name of the Minister.

Former Civil Aviation Minister Hussain further said that a restriction was imposed on getting into the foreign airlines during the regime of former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda in 1996.

Tata wanted to bring the Singapore Airlines, but no foreign airline could come in during the Deve Gowda Government. Because of that only the share of other airlines in the Jet Airways also had to be removed, Shahnawaz Husain said.

Earlier on Monday, Ratan Tata disclosed that it was suggested to him that he should pay Rs 15 crores to a Minister when he was in the process of setting up a domestic airline.

Ratan Tata, however, did not name the Minister and said the incident took place around 10-12 years ago.

“We approached three Prime Ministers also. But an individual thwarted our efforts to form the airlines. Later one businessman told me that you are stupid people. The Minister was asking for a Rs 15 crore bribe,” he said on Monday. (ANI)