Press Briefing Monday, 17th January 2011

Shri Manish Tewari addressed the media today.

Shri Manish Tewari said we have some questions for the Bhartiya Janata Party. We would like to ask the BJP –

1) Is it a fact that there is a Trust called ‘Khushabhau Thakre Training Institute Trust’?
2) Is it a fact that Mr. L.K. Advani, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu and other senior leaders of the BHP are the Trustees of this Trust?
3) Is Mr. Kailash Joshi, the former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, the Secretary of the Trust?
4) Is it a fact that on 18th June 2004, the Trust made an application to Madhya Pradesh government for allotment of land even before the Trust formally came into existence?
5) Is it a fact that the Trust formally came into existence – in other words – it was registered on 24th December 2004 – 6 months after it made this application for allotment of land?
6) Is it a fact that the MP government first of all reserved the land for this Trust and then changed the land use from public to semi-public allotted to ‘Khushabhau Thakre Training Institute Trust’?
7) Is it a fact that the District Magistrate of Bhopal had recommended that a premium amount of Rs. 4.60 crores should be charged for a 33 years lease?
8) Is it a fact that the MP government allotted land to this Trust at a premium of only Rs. 25 lakhs?
9) Is it a fact that the District Magistrate of Bhopal had recommended that an annual rent of Rs. 27 lakhs should be charged from the Trust?
10) Is it a fact that the Trust is only paying Re. 1/- as the annual rent?
11) Is it a fact that the value of the land is Rs. 60 crores?
12) Is it a fact that the land was allotted through a cabinet notification in July 2006?

Shri Manish Tewari said I would now like to ask the BJP - Is this allotment of land illegal or immoral? Is the allotment of this land to ‘Khushabhau Thakre Training Institute Trust’, ostensibly where Mr. L.K. Advani and Mr. Venkaiah Naidu are the Trustees, where Mr. Kailash Joshi, the former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh is the Secretary of the Trust, illegal or immoral? The BJP has been waxing eloquent on the question of corruption now for the last so many months. Karnataka - Mr. Yeddyurapa’s corruption – no action. Chattisgarh – Mr. Raman Singh’s mining leases to Pushp Steels – which we raised in Nov 2010 – no action and now you have this Madhya Pradesh Gate - 60 crores of land for Re. 1/- as first exposed by Headlines Today. You would all recall that in 1988-89, 1998-99, when the BJP government was in power in Delhi, land was allotted to RSS affiliates – 22 sites in the heart of Delhi to RSS affiliated organizations, which later on had to be cancelled by UPA government in 2004, in flagrant violation of rules. The Congress party demands that the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh must explain to the nation. The Congress party demands that Mr. L.K Advani, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu and the BJP must explain their association with this Trust to the nation and finally the country is seeing the real face of the Bhartiya Janata Party which comes across more as the ‘Bharitya Juggler Party’ these days.

On the question of the reaction of the Congress party on the fact that the Trusts also exist in the name of the leaders of the Congress party, Shri Tewari said question is not that some Trust has been allotted land. The question is under what circumstances, the land was allotted. Whether the government is liable to accept the application for allotment of land to any Trust even before its registration and also whether the particular land can be reserved for allotment to any Trust. Whether the Secretary of Trust, whose Secretary is the Chief Minister of the State, can demand land for allotment which is meant for public use. Land use is changed. The question is how the land was allotted to the Trust in flagrant violation of the rules? The BJP used to claim that their party is with a difference. Where is the difference – it is reflected in their sayings and actions?

On the question of growing political up-man-ship on who is less corrupt between the Congress party and the BJP, Mr. L.K. Advani once again raising the question of black money and Mr. Gadkari making a statement in the rally that he has got the details of the bank accounts which are directly linked to Bofors transactions and also the Hon’ble Supreme asking the government why the names of the people cannot be made public, Shri Tewari said - to Mr. L.K. Advani, my answer is – what was he doing for 6 years when he was the Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of India. I did not hear a single statement emanating out of Mr. L.K. Advani or NDA government on Swiss bank account or any other bank accounts. Why the selective amentia here. Why raise these issues when you are in the opposition? The Hon’ble Supreme Court has raised a query before the government. The government will respond to the Hon’ble Apex Court. The government has not concealed anything from the Court and rather had submitted all such documents received by them in this regard in a sealed cover to the court and if at all there are certain legal arrangements under which those paper have come to India and if at all there are some issues with regard to those legal arrangements, Shri Tewari said I am sure, the government will apprise the court about it. Shri Tewari passed the question as far as reaction on the statement of Shri Gadkari was concerned.

On another question on the reaction of the Congress party on the fuel hike and whether the Congress party would like to revisit the issue of de-control or feel whether it is inevitable that the consumers will be affected, Shri Tewari said I completely agree with you. I could not agree with you more that inflation is an issue of concern. In fact the Congress President, during the plenary session, had specifically flagged it as a priority area for the government to act upon. It is true that the administered price mechanism has been dismantled. The companies have been given autonomy to adjust prices but Rs. 5/- hike does seem to be a tad unfair and I think it is incumbent upon the companies that they need to put the justification out in the public space. If at all you have increased the prices, the reality is that we import 80% of our needs, then what is the rationale for that increase is, must be put out in the public space by the companies because it does agitate and may be rightly so, the minds of the people.

Shri Tewari further said he cannot comment whether the decision to give autonomy to the companies was right or wrong but it is true that the oil companies have been given the right to fix their selling price, but as already said, the Congress party especially the Congress President has shown sensitivities about the rising prices and the Congress President has further said that government needs to take strong measures to arrest inflation.

Shri Tewari further said ultimately the macro-economic budgeting unfortunately is not done through the process of outrage. It is done through the process of hard numbers. The question is that if at all there was an imperative need and I do not think any company or any government would like to unnecessary burden the citizens of India. The reasons need to be properly explained and if the reasons are not appropriate or cogent then obviously there would be a case for the government to intervene but the first step is that the reasons need to be put out in the public space.

Shri Tewari further added that reality is, in the democracy, it is incumbent upon the government and on public sector companies to explain their rationale. We are not living in a fascist state. There is a strong logic for government or public sector companies that if at all any decision is taken which impacts the prices, does raise sensitivities. I do not think anybody can run away from it but the rationale of that decision needs to be put out in the public space.

On a question whether there is need to revisit the issue as asked above, Shri Tewari said you have raised a policy question which I cannot answer and further said this is an issue, which if at all needs to be answered, would require reflection and it would be unfair for me to answer it.

On a related question as to why Ms. Mamata Banerjee – an ally in the UPA government - is not able to understand the position explained, Shri Tewari said whether it is Ms. Mamata Banerjee or for that reason any UPA coalition partner is concerned, everyone expresses its concerns about the sensitivities of the common people.

On the question of the report of the National Crime Record Bureau giving the statistics of farmers’ suicides in Maharashtra, Shri Tewari said I have not read the report of the NCRB. Obviously there would be a need to study it in great detail rather than come straight of the bat and if at all the report has collated data which goes back 15 years and has come out with these kinds of observations, then I believe the issue is more systemic.

On the question of likely reshuffle in the cabinet and the organization, Shri Tewari said if at all there is any reshuffle of the Council of Ministers, that is an issue which is in the prerogative of the Prime Minister and if at all there is a reshuffle of office bearers of the party that is an issue which is in the prerogative of the Congress President.



Tom Vadakkan
Secretary, AICC