AHMEDABAD, India: The former defense minister, Mr. V.P. Singh, on Friday ridiculed the statement of the Prime Minister, Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, in the Lok Sabha that he and his family members did not receive any payoffs in the defense deals.
“It is like the watchman of a burgled house saying that he has not committed the theft. Should we allow a watchman to continue. in his post?”, he asked.
Mr. Gandhi cannot escape the responsibility, the former minister asserted.
He was speaking at a rally organist by the Gujarat Rajya.
Farmer’s coordination committee at the Kankaria football ground here.
Mr. V.P. Singh said it was a matter of great sorrow that a Prime Minister of this proud nation had to state in Parliament that he was honest.
At the same time, he wondered why the Prime Minister was so reluctant to find out who had taken the commission in the Bofors’ deal and why he refused to give a hearing to its delegation to India to explain its stand.
Saying that he had set a record by holding the defense portfolio for the shortest period of time, Mr. V.P. Singh said his only fault was that he ordered an inquiry into the submarine deal.
The former defense minister pointed out that there was no rejoinder either from the Bachcham brothers after a newspaper (Indian Express) published the photograph of the flat purchased by Ajitabh Bachchan in Switzerland or from the “Garibi Hatao” government. It is actually an “Ajitabh Bachao” government, hesaid.
He said the Bachchan brothers spend Rs. 72 lakh a year on the education of their six children in Switzerland, adding that while the Prime Minister remained silent on the issue, the Bachchans insisted that whatever they did was with Mr. Gandhi’s knowledge.
Mr. V.P. Singh lashed out at the government for the insufficient relief measures taken to combat drought in most parts of the country.
He said he had suggested during his minister ship that the large amounts spent on import of the oils and sugar would be better utilized by providing incentives to the farmers who can produce them.
Referring to Reliance Industries, who’s striking workers, presented ‘a memorandum to him, Mr. V.P. Singh said the government had allowed the company to import 12 machines though it had permission for only eight. Again, the company had imported a power generating unit for Rs. 20 crores out of the limited foreign exchange available to it.
Mr. V.P. Singh told the Reliance workers he was ready to take up their struggle at the mill gates.
Resuming the subject of corruption in high places, the former minister said certain people earned as much as Rs. 50 crores by the signing of a single defense deal. He urged the people to pressurize their legislators to raise their voice against corruption.
He said Rs. 40,000 cores; double the annual outlay of the Central government was generated as black money in the country every year. “Earlier, farmers’ leader, Mr. Sharad Pawar, said commissions were not limited to defense deals.
He said the government had imported sugar though there was glut of sugarcane this year. Three years back, the government imported wheat even though there were not enough god owns to store the produce.
Are these not the result to deals struck in which some people earned commissions,” he asked.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 28, 1987
