Reacting to the charges of tardy probe against former Finance Minister P Chidambaram and son Karti in Aircel-Maxis scam, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said in the lok Sabha that there are “no holy cows” to protect and action will be taken against those found guilty, “howsoever important” one may be. Jaitley was replying on a short duration discussion on the Aircel-Maxis scam on the second day in a row, as AIADMK members trooped into the Well of the House on Tuesday waving copies of The Pioneer which on Monday published a detail story on the massive wealth acquired by Karti, son of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram.
Jaitley said that Enforcement Directorate (ED) and investigative wing of the Income-Tax Department, during recent searches in connection with the Aircel-Maxis deal, recovered several “incriminating” documents which are being scrutinised and chargesheets will be filed.
“No one will be spared. We have no holy cows to protect. The Government is going to the root of each one of these cases,” said Jaitley. He was reacting to the charges raised by BJD MP Bharturhari Mahtab and AIADMK MP TG Venkatesh Babu that BJP and Congress was in “match-fixing” even after the clinching evidence against Chidambaram and his son were unearthed by CBI and ED.
“Whatever was the stand of the earlier Government, we have not been influenced by that stand at all. The investigative agencies have absolute freedom to professionally record the entire evidence and if they come to an opinion that some people are prima facie guilty, the investigating agencies are free to take actions,” he said.
“I must straightaway at this stage place a particular limitation on myself and that limitation is on account of two factors. There is a provision in the Income Tax Act, as also in the PMlA, under which I cannot make public the details of the investigation. Secondly, based on another very important principle that if investigations are at a crucial stage and third set of cases has reached a very critical stage, then disclosure of that investigation material publicly may actually prejudice the investigation.
“So I am therefore both in law and at the matter of propriety constrained from placing the details of those investigations,” Jaitley said responding to the queries raised by MPs on Karti-controlled companies’ “ill-gotten assets” across 14 countries.
Initiating the debate, Mahatab demanded that time limit should be fixed for CBI and ED to finish the probe against FIPB violations in Aircel-Maxis deal during Chidamabram’s tenure and the massive wealth acquired by his son Karti.
“CBI and ED chargesheets clearly say violations happened from Chidambaram’s part in approving Aircel-Maxis deal. He had only power to approve up to Rs600 crore. This deal was worth more than Rs400 crore and had to get CCEA approval. Chidambaram did not take the file to CCEA,” said Mahatab.
The BJD MP accused the NDA Government of shifting CBI’s Joint Director Ashok Tewari soon after summoning and interrogating Chidambaram. “Tewari is shunted from CBI within two months to parent cadre Himachal Pradesh and now this officer heading State Transport Corporation,” said Mahtab
Detailing Karti’s massive assets unearthed during ED-IT raids, Mahtab said even after such incriminating evidences, “no acting means, there is some match-fixing between the BJP and Congress.”
Protesting on Speaker’s decision to allow the debate on Aircel-Maxis scam under Rule 193, Congress, left and TMC boycotted the House in the middle, while objecting for naming Chidambaram and son, citing that both were not members of the House.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan asked the MPs to avoid names. “You can say former Finance Minister.” Reacting to Speaker’s suggestion, AIADMK MP TG Venkatesh Babu said there is a need to name Chidambaram as there are good former Finance Ministers also. “We also have to name Raja and Maran rather than former Telecom Minister. We have to be specific on these big scams and looting.”
Venkatesh regretted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power on the promise of unearthing black money, but his Government was doing precious little to bring to book those behind the Aircel-Maxis deal which has “deep roots in the infamous 2G scam, the biggest in independent India”.
“This corrupt Finance Minister and son have to be booked immediately. We don’t know why the NDA Government is not acting after such evidences. Karti’s massive assets show nothing but black money. If this ill-gotten assets are not black money then what is black money,” he said.
Participating in the discussion, Kirit Somaiya (BJP) claimed that as per his account, 436 companies were floated in 28 countries which were used as “layers” to distribute money. He also alleged that companies floated by Karti were involved in the ambulance scam reported from Rajasthan and quoted a purported 2013 letter by the UPA Government’s Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in which cases of embezzlement were listed out with regard to National Rural Health Mission when his company used to provide ambulances.
“My Phd is in Commerce. Actually seeing the wealth of Karti, I wanted to make him as my Guru for next Phd,” said Somaiya, detailing Karti’s empire.
Nishikant Dubey (BJP) wondered why the CBI was slow in probing the matter claiming that the agency has already established that the then Finance Minister had given FIPB approval beyond his powers without taking the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs into confidence. Shiv Sena MP Anandrao Adsul suggested to Jaitley that the Government should concentrate on Congress Ministers to retrieve black money. “look at Karti’s assets. We are really wondering. Jaitleyji should concentrate on Congress Ministers to bring back black money,” he said.
Meanwhile in the Rajya Sabha, AIADMK MPs continued their protest on Wednesday leading to adjournment in the morning. MPs Navaneethakrishnan and V Maitreyan leading the protest were in the Well demanding immediate arrest of Chidambaram and son, accusing the Government of snail pace of probe in the Aircel-Maxis scam.