Discuss GSPC's KG Basin gas issue in parliament: Congress

Emphasising that since the KG Basin gas project of the Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (GSPC) was allotted by the central government and loans were provided for it by the public sector banks, the Congress on Monday demanded it should be discussed in parliament.

"It's a national issue and should be discussed in Rajya Sabha," senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh told media here.

He said the Congress was waiting for Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari's response to the party's demand and hoped it would be discussed in the upper house.

The Congress disrupted the Rajya Sabha, demanding a response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then the chief minister of Gujarat, on the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) pointing to anomalies in GSPC's KG (Krishna-Godavari) Basin gas project.

"It's not an issue related to just one state as told by finance minister (Arun Jaitley)," the Congress leader said. He added that Jaitley "mislead" the house when he said that the CAG report on the issue was being examined by the Public Accounts Committees (PACs) of state assemblies and there was no convention to discuss those in parliament.

A total of Rs.19,700 crore were given to the Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (GSPC) and it signed contracts with companies that had no experience in exploring oil and gas, he said.

"We demand a debate on it," he said.

--IANS

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