Congress members on Friday repeatedly disrupted proceedings in the Rajya Sabha demanding the resignation of a senior Minister whose kin’s sugar company has been mentioned in a CAG report for not adhering to the conditions of a renewable energy subsidy scheme availed.
From the time Shantaram Naik (Congress) raised the issue during zero hour, there was pandemonium in the House leading to frequent adjournments. The question hour could not be taken up at all.
Mr. Naik said the Comptroller and Auditor-General in a report last week had stated that Purti Sakhar Karkhana Limited — a bagasse based co-generation project of the Purti Group in which Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari was once a board member — did not adhere to conditions for availing subsidy from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy . The company’s management said they had settled the account with the Indian Renewable Development Agency and paid up the entire loan in April 2014 but the CAG observed that the IRDA could not change conditions for grant of subsidy.
“Since in the past the then main opposition party [BJP] always demanded the resignations of our Ministers from time to time [on charges of corruption], now the Minister whose family is involved in the subsidy scheme has to take responsibility and resign,” Mr. Naik said, triggering a wave of protest from Congress benches. Some of the members started raising slogans and stood in the aisles.
Anand Sharma (Congress) said that earlier “even if there was a brief shadow anywhere,” the ruling party, when they were in Opposition, would raise the issue until action was taken. “This is a serious matter.”
Azad’s charge Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said it was not a question of allegation against a member. “It is a CAG report. Earlier, on a number of occasions heads have rolled. The BJP government talks of transparency. At the same time it talks about the stains of the UPA government. Here is a proven case against a Minister who had to resign as BJP president.”
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Muktar Abbas Naqvi said the allegations were incorrect. “The Congress has become a confused party.”
