New Delhi, July 30
Shiv Sena member Sanjay Nirupam, who made a scathing attack on the UTI functioning in the Rajya Sabha today, caused a furore when he mentioned telephone numbers of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Planning Commission at which former UTI Chairman P.S. Subramanyam was contacted between July 18 and July 22 allegedly regarding a cyberspace deal.

Speaking during the short-duration discussion on the working of the UTI with special reference to the sale and purchase of US-64, Mr Nirupam mentioned number 9810180481 as the one which had been traced to the PMO. He said calls had been made to Mr Subramanyam from number 3011718 which had been traced to the Planning Commission. He said the government should come out with details of the conversations the former UTI chief had with its officials.

Mr Nirupam, who began his speech by saying that he was not seeking the Finance Minister’s resignation as the minister would not resign following demand by members, demanded details of the letter that the former UTI chief had written to the Finance Minister on May 28.

There was a minor furore in the House after Mr Nirupam linked telephone numbers to the PMO and the Planning Commission. At one stage, when the Chair asked Mr Nirupam to conclude his speech as he had exceeded the allotted time it was the members from the Left and the Congress who urged the chair to give him more time.

Asserting that he had forewarned the government about the impending crisis in the UTI, Mr Nirupam asked what the UTI Board was doing when bad investments were being made. He also asked why the CBI was not keen to keep the former UTI Chairman in custody for a longer time. He also asked the government to come clear on how much the UTI had invested in Barons International.

Participating in the debate, senior BJP member T.N. Chaturvedi said the government inaction in the affairs of the UTI in the past, specially in 1993-94 and 1998-99, had led to the present situation. The Finance Ministry, he said, had done the best it could.

Mr C. Ramachandriah of the TDP said the basic problem with the UTI had been that it had paid dividends more than the income earned through its investments.