NEW DELHI: Government Saturday night rejected a strong opposition demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPG) to probe the activities of the defamed Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) in India but announced detailed inquiry by the Central Reserve Bank of India and the intelligence agencies.
Intervening in a special discussion on the BCCI’s activities in the country in the lower house of Parliament finance minister Dr.Manmohan Singh admitted it was a mistake to have brought the bank into India.
Denying any “cover up” he said S0 far there had been no definite proof of the bank’s covert operations in India on the lines of those alleged elsewhere in the world.
At the end of a ‘six-hour special discussion the national Front-Left parties members walked out protesting against the withdrawal by Jaswant Singh (BJP) of the motion seeking a JPC inquiry into the BCCI affairs in India.
As Jaswant Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party withdrew his motion in deference to an agreement reached in the speaker’s chamber Somnath Chatterjee (CPI-M) said they were walking out in protest against what he called the “BJP Congress (I) alliance”.
George Femandes of Janata Dal also walked out terming Dr.Singh’s reply as a “cover up of BCCI operations in India” and said he would take up the is outside the house
The house later rejected by voice vote the amendments moved by Fermandes.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 20, 1991
