Azad's remark on banks 'baseless, unwarranted': Unions

Bank unions today strongly objected to the statement given by senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad in Parliament yesterday when he said that banks charge commission to approval loans.
While participating in a debate yesterday, Azad -- the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha -- said that "when a person goes to avail a loan amount of even Rs 5,000, these banks charge 1 per cent as a commission".
"We strongly condemn the statement and demand an open apology from Ghulam Nabi Azad. Bank employees will not tolerate such type of statements from MPs. Bank employees are honest and serving for all the sections of the country", said Ashwani Rana, Vice President-National Organisation of Bank Workers, in a statement.

The All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC) have sought an unconditional apology from Azad, adding, lest they will resort to trade union action including peaceful demonstrations against him.
"We seek unconditional apology from Azad for his irresponsible, baseless and unwarranted statement. His statement has deeply hurt the bank employees particularly the officers who are giving their blood and sweat to ensure that all plans and agenda of the government are pushed through with honesty and commitments, despite all adversities," Harvinder Singh, General Secretary, AIBOC said in a statement.
Singh also raised a question why these politicians, bureaucrats and governments are not taking strict action against the defaulters despite vociferous demand by banks for more than a decade now.

"We demand immediate and transparent investigation into the whole issue, so that the people like Azad can be exposed. We also demand that code of secrecy should be removed from officers working in the banking industry so that we can disclose the truth and bring to books all these politicians who have brought pressure on our top management and also on branch managers," AIBOC said.