Dr. Singhvi said we are asking this in the national interest, a very curious situation. The ED’s notice is seeking attachment of over Rs. 21 Crores from a known close connected aide of Mr. VK Singh. I do not think anybody’s aide has the stature, the power, the position, the pelf, the impact to have such large sums of money on his own which the ED in a written notice is seeking attachment of. It is the ED’s notice which points out that 13 shell Companies were owned or managed by or owned by him, his family Members. And the funds received in the Loan accounts of these Companies were diverted in contravention of loan terms agreed with the bank and used by Shri Singh for his own benefit”.
But most significant and the most important pointer is to the tune, sector, the subject, the issue, which gave rise to this fund diversion and ED attachment. The ED says and it is very important “The investigation revealed that the loan funds were taken on the basis of forged documents of supply orders to the Para-military Forces and the Armed Forces which were misappropriated and diverted by Singh for his personal use instead of utilizing it for his business activities provided in terms of loan. Now Mr. SP Singh is accused of this. Our question is very clear that how is it that the ED which is jumping the gun on very small issue and every big issue has not thought it fit to even question the former Army Chief and now a Minister in the Government? No exchange, no information, no questioning, no attempt to investigate. This is an act of extreme curiosity, seriousness and an obvious deliberate omission.
From Chattisgarh comes an equally sorry and sad story and it is backed by independent CAG investigation with a report now on the Floor of the Assembly and these are people who have sworn by, stood by, lived and died for the CAG report. The CAG points out that over Rs. 1000 Crore was spent as unfruitful expenditure on incomplete anicuts (small dams). Anicuts are the vital channels for irrigation for rural areas. They pre-exist, they have to be recharged, reconstructed, restored and rejuvenated. The charge is three fold and is every interesting and I am quoting – Charge No. 1 is of wasteful expenditure of over Rs. 1000, more precise Rs. 1,095.74 Crores. The second serious aspect is that all such anicuts where the irrigation coverage is only about 30% are largely incomplete. Chhatisgarh is a dry, parched, hot State. Irrigation coverage itself is only 30% and anicuts were supposed to be restored and repaired within those 30%. In that 30%, they have found largely incomplete anicuts. The third charge is that none of the issues were anticipated or solved before this project and money was spent. Issues of land dispute land compensation, slow progress of work by the contractors and I quote “Neither resolved these bottlenecks to ensure completion nor assessed the damage to old structures and foundations of the anicuts”.
And the last and the fourth issue is t that of the sample checks proved the hollowness of the claims and the various booklets published by Chhatisgarh and the Central Government. Once, they made such remarks on Medical Education and other issues but I am just giving you one example and is that of 72 sampled areas for ground water recharge. 47 of the 72 were found not recharged i.e. almost 75+ or 80%. 47 of 72 had no increase in ground water recharge as confirmed by the Central Ground Water Board and 79% of cultivable land was not irrigated due to lack of electric connections.
I thought I just heard Shri Piyush Goel and Shri Dharmendra Pradhan; every day you are told to carry material from them that we have 100% electrification, rather we have excess supply surplus, just yesterday there was all flag cutting ceremonies at International Energy Association. We are told that we are surplus. CAG says that 79% of cultivable land was not irrigated due to lack of electric connections. Either CAG is lying or the two Ministers jointly are totally incorrectly making statement or both are at complete variance which requires a clarification as to where is the surplus electricity going and ignoring their own State Chattisgarh. This is the problem of fact and fiction. Fiction is something this Government is excellent in; facts are when they come to a screeching halt and stand exposed.
On the question that whether the matter regarding Shri VK Singh’s aide can be taken up in the Court, Dr. Singhvi said everything is open to the Court but Court does not have time to look at every micro-management. It can ultimately be seen by the court but the question here is larger – you are self using the word ‘Jail’, you are seeing himself his photographs with former Army Chief, you are seeing ED notice to him. Now is the question as to how many of your Secretaries like SP Singh has such money because of his own influence. You think this Minister’s Secretary has his own influence? Do you think Defence contract is given to this Secretary because of his own influence? Now I am not saying any body is guilty or innocent. I am asking a simple question to myself and of course to the Nation through you – would it require a questioning? Police questions, police makes investigation report. That is an omission. Ultimately Court may ask that question but the Court comes secondly – first question is that you are an ED, are you scared because of a Minister, are you selective, are you opportunistic, are you partial, are you biased, are you imbalanced? That is the question I am asking.
On the question regarding Shri Virbhadra Singh, Dr. Singhvi said let me make one thing clear – everything according to law, fair and square and balanced, We wanted, we are happy with it and we are not even minimum scared. Do not ever for a minute think that ‘Geedar bhabkis’ are going to scare us but we are going to raise again and again before you that do not have double standards, do not have imbalanced standards, do not have one standard for Mr. Hemant Biswa and another for Mr. VK Singh. Do not have one standard for Mr. Biswa Sarma in Assam when you were in the Opposition. BJP made some horrendous allegations against him and now because he is your primo-Uno, therefore, suddenly he is washed with whitewash. Therefore, I think selectivity and bias and partisanship is the issue. You have a fair and square investigation – there will be no problem.
How do you justify newly anointed Punjab Government’s decision to do away with all that was reminiscent of Raj Era, Dr. Singhvi said I do not think that in context, degree, content and quantum, the Punjab Government is doing anything or proposing anything remotely resembling the systematic organized rewriting of history, going on. Systematic organized rewriting of history going on by this Government at several departments especially the HRD where there are department inaccuracies, there are established systems which every State can and always resort to but we are now talking of a concerted predetermined effort by the Central Government through various agencies three things which no State of Punjab is doing or no State is doing it. 1 – re-thinking history (2) renaming history and selectively rewriting history and most importantly (3) distorting history, stating false facts and this is done by starting at appointments at lower levels and starting it with pre notions and see the example. Let us wait for the final outcome, I can assure that no Congress Government has done or played with distortion of history before and none will do now.
