PSUs: Cong asks Kalam for House probe

The Congress today urged President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to intervene and ask the Centre to order a parliamentary probe into allegations that s...

The Congress today urged President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to intervene and ask the Centre to order a parliamentary probe into allegations that six Union Ministers were ‘‘milking’’ public sector undertakings (PSUs) under their charge. The party also demanded their immediate resignation.

In a memorandum to Kalam, party leaders said: ‘‘The Congress has sought a parliamentary probe into the allegations because past experience shows that only parliamentary committees are endowed with the authority to ferret out wrong-doing.’’

They also referred to the Judeo video and said the manner in which the issue had been dealt with suggested that the government was not concerned with corruption in high places. Prominent among members of the delegation were Pranab Mukherjee, Shivraj Patil, Jaipal Reddy, Salman Khurshid, Oscar Fernandes and Vayalar Ravi. Quoting a Hyderabad-based newspaper, party spokesman Jaipal Reddy named six ministers: ‘‘We learn that six ministers who were involved are Arun Jaitley, Ram Naik and Karia Munda of the BJP, Anant Geete and Subodh Mohite of the Shiv Sena, and Brij Kishore Tripathi of Biju Janata Dal.’’ ‘‘Names of the PSUs being exploited by these ministers are MMTC, STC, BHEL, ONGC, GAIL, IOC, NHPC and Coal India,’’ Reddy said, adding these facts were ascertained by Congress.

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But Petroleum Minister Ram Naik and Commerce Minister Arun Jaitley denied the Congress allegations. Jaitley even threatened to sue the daily which had referred to him.

	MODEL CODE: Meanwhile; EC awaits ‘full reply’ from Cong

			EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 21 The Election Commission today said it will decide on the issue of the alleged misuse of a Chhattisgarh government helicopter by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi at an ‘‘appropriate time’’. A spokesperson said the EC has only received a ‘‘part-reply’’ to its showcause notice and it is not possible for it to take a decision before receiving a ‘‘full reply’’. The Congress, in turn, has asked Chhattisgarh CM Ajit Jogi to explain why he gave the chopper for Sonia’s use when the code of conduct was in force. The party has also asked Jogi to send a copy of his reply to them. Story continues below this ad EC sources say the Commission held an informal meeting, during which it took note of Congress general secretary Oscar Fernandes’ reply to its notice. ‘‘It is premature to comment on what action the EC will take against the party unless the full reply is received,’’ the sources said. Apparently, while evaluating the Congress reply, the EC did not find it ‘‘entirely satisfactory’’. Sources said the EC noted that the reasons given by the party to defend Sonia’s use of the aircraft were not ‘‘technically sound’’. However, the EC is unlikely to take the extreme step of cancelling the Congress’ election symbol or derecognising it as a national party. Meanwhile, the Chhattisgarh government has appointed two new collectors — Gaurav Dwivedi in Bastar and S.K. Pathak in Jashpur. Story continues below this ad The EC spokesman said the Commission will carry out a probe into the BJP charge that the Chhattisgarh Government had advertised its achievements, in violation of the model code, before taking a decision on the issue.