The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) yesterday said the CRB scam was a much bigger scam than the bank securities scam, and demanded the setting up of a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to go into it as well. A BJP delegation will meet Prime Minister I K Gujral today on the scam.
Apart from the setting up of a JPC, the BJP has demanded extending insurance cover to fixed deposit holders in non-banking financial companies also.
Ram Naik, the BJP chief whip in the Lok Sabha, told newsmen here a detailed review of the CRB scam would take place at the meeting with Gujral. Information with the party indicated that various wings of the Union finance ministry were unaware of developments in their respective departments, he said.
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There is a clear case for setting up a JPC on this scam also. We feel that guidelines laid down by the JPC probing the Harshad Mehta scam have not been followed by the government, leading to another scam, Naik, who was a member of the earlier JPC, said.
The BJP also wants the government to promulgate an ordinance to ensure that interests of small investors are protected and get preference in the matter of settlement of claims.
Naik said special branches of liquidators of the CRB group should be opened in Mumbai, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Calcutta and Rajkot to enable small depositors and others adversely affected to lodge their claims against the company.
Naik made light of a photograph published in a Mumbai daily yesterday showing CRB man C R Bhansali with senior party leaders L K Advani, Gopinath Munde and Kirit Somaiya.
He said the photograph was taken at a January 1996 function organised by the Jain Mahasabha in Mumbai after chief guest Advani had delivered his speech.
If somebody comes and stands next to you in a public place, and gets included in a photograph with you, does it mean you know him, the BJP leader said..