Rajya Sabha MP and senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani today questioned the reason behind reducing the compensation claim for the Bhopal gas victims and said the new package announced by the GoM was a "pittance".
"I want to know who decided that the claim of USD 3.3 billion should be reduced to half a billion. I ask how did you (government) settle the USD 3.3 billion demand of compensation to just USD 470 million," he said.
Jethmalani said when the Government decided to quantify the claims of the victims, it should have arrived at the figure after careful calculation and competent advice.
But the compensation package provided by Union Carbide belied all expectations, he said, demanding action against the individual who instructed reducing the claim.
"The truth is being hidden today. Nobody has the courage to ask. Please investigate this thing. Who gave this instruction. The person who gave this instruction ought to be arrested," he said speaking at a function here.
He also criticised the new compensation package announced by the Group of Ministers for the gas victims, saying it is a "pittance" given the pain and agony of the victims.
The GoM had decided to give Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the kin of those who died in the world's worst-ever industrial disaster on December 2-3, 1984.