New Delhi, Sep 8 (ANI): Soon after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) criticized the country's national airline, Air India Limited's (AIL) decision to buy 68 Boeing planes in 2005 in its report tabled in the Parliament, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today said that yet another scam of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government is being unfolded.
A report prepared by the office of the CAG, which was submitted in Parliament earlier in the day, says that the decision by national carrier Air India to acquire 111 planes through debt was 'a recipe for disaster' and should have raised alarms in the government.
Following the submission of the report, the BJP swung into action stating that they have been raising the same issues for the past couple of months.
BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy slammed the UPA Government over the loss incurred by AIL and demanded that a probe should be undertaken.
"The CAG report on civil aviation vis-?-vis Air India has been tabled in both the Houses of Parliament and the issues which have been raised are the same which the Bharatiya Janata Party has been raising for the past couple of years. The CAG has questioned the veracity of the merger of Air India and the basis there off," said Rudy.
"The CAG has questioned the purchase of aircraft (Boeing planes) and especially in the background that the CAG has very categorically stated that the purchase of aircraft was supply driven thereby indicating the number of aircrafts were forced upon Air India to be bought," he added.
Rudy further called for a through probe into the matter.
"There are financial implications which cross more than 80,000 crores. It's a matter of deep investigation and it seems that Air India again is unfolding another major scam in the UPA for the country to witness," he said.
Meanwhile, another BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu said that his party would go through the complete report and raise its concerns outside the Parliament.
"It is quite but natural with this government, wherever there is a deal, there is a scam and this is no exception. I am happy that CAG report has come and we have now time to discuss it, if not inside the Parliament, outside the Parliament also one can discuss it," he said.
Terming the move of getting a 'large number' of planes as 'risky', the CAG in its report said the aircraft acquisition had 'contributed predominantly' to the airline's massive debt liability of Rs 38,423 crore as on March 31 last year.
In its latest report tabled in Parliament today, the public audit body also called the merger of two erstwhile state-run carriers-Air India and Indian Airlines-'ill-timed' and said that 'the financial case for the merger was not adequately validated prior to the merger'.
"The entire acquisition (for both Air India and Indian Airlines) was to be funded through debt (to be repaid through revenue generation), except for a relatively small equity infusion of Rs 325 crore for Indian Airlines. This was a recipe for disaster ab initio and should have raised alarm signals in Ministry of Civil Aviation, Public Investment Board and the Planning Commission," the report said. (ANI)
|
|
Comments:
