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- dEsPeraTe cRaNky -
Buoyed by Anna Hazare's comment that Gujarat was a den of scams, state Congress leaders will petition the President on Friday demanding a probe into irregularities in the Narendra Modi government which they claim run into more than Rs 1 lakh crore.
Congress will focus on Tatas' deal with Gujarat for Nano project and the alleged role of corporate lobbyist Niira Radia in it. The state did not make the Nano agreement public till leader of Opposition Shaktisinh Gohil used RTI and petitions to the governor to secure a copy.
Gohil, along with PCC chief Arjun Modvadia, called the deal a sellout in terms of concessions given to the company and alleged that Radia played a key role in ensuring Nano set up base in Gujarat. The party alleged that former CBI chief R K Raghavan, who is chairman of the SIT probing the 2002 riots, was the head of cyber crime investigation for Tatas earlier, thereby hinting that he too was part of the negotiations.
Modvadia and Gohil said the government gave a loan of Rs 9,570 crore to a project whose total cost was Rs 2,900 crore, and the incentive of starting repayment after 20 years at an interest rate of 0.1%. "The deal was not made public till I used RTI and petitioned the governor," Gohil said, adding, "Niira Radia made the deal possible."
The delegation will submit 1,000 pages of documentary evidence on scams to the President. "The irregularities are worth over Rs 1 lakh crore," Modvadia said, adding that MLAs and MPs would join them.
Claiming that the Modi regime's truth was far from what was projected, the Congress duo said Hazare had made some laudatory comments in Delhi but after a visit to the state and interaction with people, he could only lament, "I had heard Gujarat is only vibrant, but now I realize Gujarat is only scams."
In what appears a bid to slam Gujarat with the handle BJP was using, Gohil said the state has not appointed a Lokayukta for nine years, which was the reason its irregularities were not coming out. Civil society's demand for Lokpal bill has its anger directed at the Congress-led Centre and the state unit feels it can use it to target its arch rival.
Congress will focus on Tatas' deal with Gujarat for Nano project and the alleged role of corporate lobbyist Niira Radia in it. The state did not make the Nano agreement public till leader of Opposition Shaktisinh Gohil used RTI and petitions to the governor to secure a copy.
Gohil, along with PCC chief Arjun Modvadia, called the deal a sellout in terms of concessions given to the company and alleged that Radia played a key role in ensuring Nano set up base in Gujarat. The party alleged that former CBI chief R K Raghavan, who is chairman of the SIT probing the 2002 riots, was the head of cyber crime investigation for Tatas earlier, thereby hinting that he too was part of the negotiations.
Modvadia and Gohil said the government gave a loan of Rs 9,570 crore to a project whose total cost was Rs 2,900 crore, and the incentive of starting repayment after 20 years at an interest rate of 0.1%. "The deal was not made public till I used RTI and petitioned the governor," Gohil said, adding, "Niira Radia made the deal possible."
The delegation will submit 1,000 pages of documentary evidence on scams to the President. "The irregularities are worth over Rs 1 lakh crore," Modvadia said, adding that MLAs and MPs would join them.
Claiming that the Modi regime's truth was far from what was projected, the Congress duo said Hazare had made some laudatory comments in Delhi but after a visit to the state and interaction with people, he could only lament, "I had heard Gujarat is only vibrant, but now I realize Gujarat is only scams."
In what appears a bid to slam Gujarat with the handle BJP was using, Gohil said the state has not appointed a Lokayukta for nine years, which was the reason its irregularities were not coming out. Civil society's demand for Lokpal bill has its anger directed at the Congress-led Centre and the state unit feels it can use it to target its arch rival.
