Govt arranging ED questioning of Puducherry LG on Hasan Ali links

Even as the lieutenant governor of Puducherry, Iqbal Singh, has denied any links with Hasan Ali, the alleged hawala dealer, the Union government is working out modalities to make him appear for questioning before the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Singh met Union home minister P Chidambaram this afternoon, after having sought an appointment. Soon after the meeting, of less than 10 minutes, Singh maintained he was still holding the post in Puducherry.

Senior officials said the ED had issued summons on Friday against Singh for questioning on his alleged links with Hasan Ali. This is the second time that Singh met Chidambaram in the past four days since the ED had issued the summons.

“The lieutenant governor is willing to make a statement to the Enforcement Directorate. Home Secretary is working out modalities,” said Chidambaram to reporters after the meeting.

Singh has repeatedly claimed he doesn’t know Hasan Ali and had not even met him. “I only issued the letter for expeditious issue of his passport, believing the assertions of a known Congress leader, Amalendu Pandey, to the effect that his brother was not well, on purely humanitarian and compassionate grounds,” Singh wrote in the letter.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asked the Union government to explain its position on Iqbal Singh. The AIADMK has also asked President Pratibha Patil to remove Singh at the earliest.

“Apart from upholding the Constitution, Iqbal Singh is also required to exhibit a certain conduct. The governor or lieutenant governor of a state is a constitutional head and is responsible for upholding the constitution,” said Ravi Shankar Prasad, the BJP spokesman.