Identify petroleum adulterators: Congress to Parrikar

The Congress in Goa on Monday demanded that Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar name the people involved in a massive petroleum adulteration racket, which he had referred to in his public speech on Sunday.

"Parrikar said in his speech that he knows the names of people who are running a massive petroleum racket in Goa. We demand that the BJP government in Goa get Parrikar to name the racketeers and arrest them as soon as possible," Congress spokesperson Sunil Kawthankar said at a press conference at the party's state headquarters here.

Parrikar, in a public speech on Sunday, recounted how many years back, he was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with a corruption case, which he said was filed against him by the Congress out of vindictiveness.

The defence minister said that after addressing queries from the CBI officials, he, an opposition leader in the Goa legislative assembly at the time, had in turn informed the sleuths about the nitty gritty of a petroleum adulteration racket involving mixing of petrol with naphtha.

Parrikar also said that following his sharing of details with the CBI, the agency conducted raids and the racket was busted, only to restart again after some months.

"I even know the names of those involved in it," Parrikar said.

The Congress said that if Parrikar specifically knows about the involvement of people in the racket, he should come clean with the names and his party's government should act against them.

"Petroleum is a central subject and the BJP is also in power at the Centre. Either the state government or the central government should act in this case.

"How can Parrikar, a senior cabinet minister himself, say he knows people involved in an adulteration racket in front of union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and not crack down on the racket," Kawthankar said.