Bajaj, Ambani In Cbi Spotlight Over Donations

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has turned its focus on two top industrialists for verifying certain allegations in a public interest litigation filed in the Delhi High Court accusing Congress president Sitaram Kesari of amassing wealth disproportionate to his income when he was the partys treasurer.

While Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL) chairman Rahul Bajaj has been questioned over the allegation in the petition - filed by one Madhuresh - that he paid money to Kesari, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) chairman Dhirubhai Ambani has informed the CBI of his inability to come to the Capital owing to ill health, but said that he would be available for questioning in Mumbai. Bajaj was questioned in the Capital on February 7.

On February 10, the investigating agency submitted a status report on the case to the high court.

The next hearing in the case, based on this report, is slated for February 18.

Confirming that he was questioned by the CBI, Bajaj said, I told them (CBI) that I do not pay money in cash to anybody, and therefore, there is no question of my giving money to Kesariji.

On his part, an RIL spokesman refused to comment. We would not like to comment on the issue, the spokesman said.

The CBI had earlier challenged the maintainability of the petition. But, the court asked the CBI to submit a status report after verifying all the allegations in the public interest litigation.

The CBIs message asking both the industrialists to come to the Capital for questioning was sent by Vineet Kumar Gupta, deputy inspector-general in the anti-corruption unit.

One of the charges levelled by Madhuresh is that both Ambani and Bajaj paid Kesari huge sums of money at the time of the last Rajya Sabha elections which was used to bribe the members of the assemblies in the states electing representatives to the Upper House of Parliament.

A three-member CBI team had interrogated Kesari at his residence in this connection which created a major political controversy with a Congress spokesman alleging that the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) was using the investigating agency in the case to sully Kesaris image to serve the ruling coalitions political ends.