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Bhandari names Vajpayee aide in oil scam

New Delhi, December 8
Former Foreign Secretary Romesh Bhandari has alleged the involvement of a person very close to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Iraq’s ‘Oil-for-Food’ scam and accused the then National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government of burying the issue at that time.

Mr Bhandari, who made this disclosure in an interview to a weekly magazine ‘Outlook,’ said he had learnt from his sources in Baghdad that the said person had a very close relationship with Uday, the son of ousted Iraqi President Sadaam Hussein.

“Uday had been indulging in oil smuggling and this person has a share in it,” he alleged.

While demanding a thorough probe into the activities of this person,’ who had gone abroad along with several former Union Ministers, he claimed the Enforcement Directorate had all the information about “who had visited Iraq and when.”

The UPA Government must get into the root of the matter and investigate the involvement of several persons connected with the NDA, he said.

Mr Bhandari also stressed the need to reveal all the communications made by the then Indian Ambassador to Iraq to the NDA Government on oil matters.

Cong set to take Volcker battle into BJP camp
Anita Katyal
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 8
The Volcker controversy took a fresh turn today with the Congress today demanding that that the ambit of the R.S. Pathak Enquiry Authority be expanded to include the involvement of NDA leaders and persons close to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Iraq’s oil-for-food programme.

It stepped up its campaign against the NDA following media reports that several NDA leaders, including former Prime Minister’s son-in-law, were close to the Saddam Hussein regime and were also involved in oil deals at that time.

While the party wants the terms of reference of the probe to be expanded to go into all these allegations, the UPA government did not rule out the possibility in the future but maintained there has been no material change in the situation to warrant an amendment of the enquiry’s terms.

Speaking on behalf of the government, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi told presspersons that there is no immediate decision to revise the terms of reference but if fresh conclusive material is made available in the future, it could review the situation.

“So far, that situation has not arisen,” Mr. Dasmunshi stated, adding that the terms of reference of the Pathak Committee were finalised by the Cabinet and any amendment to these would have to be cleared by it first. The Minister said the UPA government does not believe in a witchhunt but it is equally true that the truth can only come out if there is a comprehensive probe.

Referring to media reports about the involvement of NDA leaders and Mr. Vajpayee’s foster son-in-law in Iraq’s oil-for-food programme, Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma made a strong case for all this fresh material being probed by the Pathak enquiry authority.

In its bid to turn the tables on the Opposition, Congress members waved copes of the magazine carrying these allegations against NDA leaders in the Rajya Sabha today while demanding a probe into the charges.

“We want the terms of reference of the Pathak Committee to be expanded.. we want it to go into all these allegations ... all this material must be submitted to it so that it can come out with the truth,” Mr. Sharma said at his daily press briefing.

The Congress campaign today is essentially meant to counter the BJP’s attack against its party president Sonia Gandhi in connection with the Volcker committee’ report on the Iraq’s oil kickbacks scandal. Having tasted blood after the resignation of former external affairs minister K.Natwar Singh, the Opposition is now training its guns at Mrs. Gandhi.

UPA sources disclosed the government will not rush to order a probe into NDA’s involvement but it may not be averse to it in case it is able to able to lay its hands on material in this connection. The government is inclined to take a soft line on Mr. Vajpayee, especially since he has personally not spoken out against the Congress on the Volcker Committee controversy. UPA leaders are attributing these fresh revelations about former PM’s foster son-in-law to BJP’s intra-party feud between the two veteran leaders, Mr. L.K. Advani and Mr. Vajpayee.

Sonia, Vajpayee targeted in Parliament
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 8
Opposition and treasury benches traded charges on the Volcker report with the NDA staging a walk-out in the Lok Sabha today demanding the resignation of National Advisory Council head Sonia Gandhi.

Flaunting copies of newspaper reports, BJP Deputy leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra alleged that Rs 250 crore from Iraqi oil deals had been stashed away in foreign banks and asked the government whether the Enforcement Directorate had submitted its findings.

As President of the Congress, Mrs Gandhi was responsible for the “scam” and must resign from the NAC, he demanded. Mr Malhotra said news reports also gave details of foreign banks in which the money had been parked.

The Opposition members trooped out of the House with Malhotra contending that the government’s “silence” showed that the ED had given its report on this issue.

The treasury benches waved reports of a news magazine which alleged that close aides of former Prime Minister A B Vajpayee had dealings with the late sons of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein under the oil-for-food programme.

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee asked the members not to wave papers as it was not allowed as per rules.

While the Opposition staged a walk-out, RJD MPs Raghunath Jha and Ram Kripal Yadav continued to speak in support of the treasury benches despite warning by the Speaker. Mr Somnath Chatterjee warned that he would “get rid” of them if they did not behave properly in the House. “See the papers are ready (for suspending the MPs). If you speak one more minute, I will do that,” he said.

In the Rajya Sabha, Congress members led by Ambika Soni and Anand Sharma demanded that the government investigate the reports that close aides of Mr Vajpayee had dealings with the late sons of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein under the oil-for-food programme.

The remarks sparked off heated exchanges leading to the adjournment of the house twice in the afternoon.

Soni and Sharma demanded that in view of the seriousness of the matter and attempts by the Opposition BJP to paint the Congress as villians in the Iraqi oil deals, it was fair that the House take up the issue immediately.

However, Deputy Chairman K Rehman Khan who was in the chair said the matter could not be raised as no notice had been given for it. He also took exception to the Congress and BJP members waving placards of the media allegations.

BJP objects to PM’s remarks
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 8
The BJP today took strong exception to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement describing the Opposition’s protest over the Iraqi oil-for-food scam as “drama”.

It does not behove of a Prime Minister to criticise the Opposition in this manner, BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman V.K. Malhotra stated wondering if the Prime Minister was working at the diktats of somebody.

Natwar ticks off Congmen who spoke against him

New Delhi, December 8
Ticking off Congress leaders who spoke against him in the wake of the Volcker controversy, former External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh today said he did not attach any significance to them.

“I do not attach any significance to the Congress leaders who have spoken against me. Anyone can go on television and say whatever they like,” he said here.

About his initial reluctance to resign from the Cabinet, Mr Singh said this was because he had not committed any wrong.

After the Congress Steering Committee’s decision to remove him, Union Minister Kapil Sibbal and Congress General Secretary Ambika Soni had said that this was enough indication for Natwar Singh to resign from the government. — PTI