Cong demands SC-monitored probe into alleged GSPC scam

Bringing Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the line of fire, Congress today demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into "irregularities" in the alleged Rs 20,000 crore Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation(GSPC) scam.
On a day when Parliament session began, party spokesman Jairam Ramesh also said that Congress would remain aggressive on the issue of imposition of President's rule in Uttarakhand and could hit the streets soon over the matter.
He said that the way democracy has been "murdered" in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, it would be "difficult" to have a smooth session of Parliament.
"The trail in the GSPC scam could lead to the door of the Prime Minister. ....It is just impossible that what has happened is without the (then) Chief Minister being in the know", he said.

Noting that the GSPC scam was of an "unprecedented proportion", he said that the Gujarat state undertaking owed Rs 19,700 crore to banks and has been asked to pay Rs 1,800 crores to repay the debt.
This, he said, was at a time when the GSPC's earning was a mere Rs 80 crore annually. He released copy of a CAG report which went into the GSPC affairs.

He said that the Prime Minister, who often quoted Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru these days, should agree for handing over the inquiry to a sitting Supreme Court judge.
Ramesh reminded the Prime Minister that Nehru was instrumental in holding judicial probe into the Mundhra scandal that led to the resignation of the then Finance Minister T T Krishnamachari.

He claimed under the opposition pressure, the government is pursuing Vijay Mallya who has outstanding debts of Rs 9000 crore, but was doing nothing in the GSPC scam.
Asked to comment on the nine accused in the Malegaon blasts case being discharged by a special court, he remarked that the NIA has now become "Narendra Investigation Agency".
On the question of the reaction of the Congress that an Italian Court has said that UPA did not provide ample evidence in Augusta Westland case, Ramesh said, "we don't have the exact details of what the Court has said but let me say that the UPA Government has parted with whatever information was demanded of it"

"Our former Defence Minister has gone on record repeatedly and said that we have nothing to feel defensive, apologetic and absolutely nothing to hide in this matter.