Activists Accuse Corporate Giant Of Hoarding Gas
Congress Rejects Charges, Queries IAC Funding
Speaking against the backdrop of the uproar over Jaipal Reddy's removal from the petroleum ministry, allegedly at Reliance's instance, the duo claimed that RIL had earlier got Mani Shankar Aiyar turfed out from the ministry. Ambani, not the PM, they said, was running the government. They said Reddy had opposed RIL's demand for a revision in the price of gas from the K-G basin field, and was trying to hold it to account for hoarding gas. PM favoured Reliance, says IAC
While the Congress and the BJP were savaged and their alleged favours to Reliance cited as examples of their collusion over corruption, the industry heavyweight was also scorched in what was clearly the first instance of its kind in recent times.
Apart from being mentioned as a glaring example of crony capitalism, the activists accused Reliance of hoarding gas from the KG basin field in order to profit at people's expense and of seeking to blackmail the government.
"Woh tuchhe zamakhoron ki tarah kaam kar rahen hain (he is behaving like a petty hoarder)," declared Kejriwal. Bhushan and Kejriwal said Reliance had deliberately scaled down production of gas to pressurize the government into raising price prematurely, adding that while Reliance sought and got afour-fold raise in capital expenditure on the KG gas field, only 13 of the 31 gas wells were in production.
The activists also played an audio clip from the infamous Niira Radia tapes, with former PM A B Vajpayee's foster son-in-law Ranjan Bhattacharya telling the excorporate lobbyist, "Mukeshbhai told me, Congress to apni dukaan hai". Reliance denied the charges and accused IAC of being a proxy of vested interests.
The PM also came in for rough treatment with the activist duo saying he was liable to be prosecuted under the Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly abusing his position to help corporate interests—from Reliance to companies in Coalgate and 2G scam—profit at the cost of the public exchequer. "He signs on to every file, be it of Coalgate or spectrum scam. He has been ensnared by the Congress," Kejriwal said.
Cong questions IAC's funding
Congress on Wednesday questioned India Against Corruption's source of funding, rebuffing as "baseless" the allegations that UPA was favouring Reliance Industries Ltd. AICC general secretary B K Hariprasad said, "It is baseless. Nowadays, it is fashionable of IAC to make accusations. But where are you getting your funds from? Who is funding the IAC... It is Ford Foundation — from Ramlila Maidan to this press conference." TNN
CHAOTIC CONFERENCE: Arvind Kejriwal's press conference was dramatically interrupted by a man (in grey shirt) who questioned why the activist and his wife, an IRS officer, had never been transferred out of Delhi. Kejriwal's attempts to answer were drowned out in the commotion. Then former Congress worker Jagdish Sharma shouted slogans and tried to hurl a shoe at the stage. He was overpowered by IAC supporters and led out
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