BJP slams CBI probe into Centaur deal

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today termed the CBI probe into the Centaur hotel disinvestment deal a "political vendetta" aimed at pleasing the Left parties, which were giving the government a tough time over the Bhel selloff.

According to BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar, the finance ministry had in January itself given a clean chit to the deal, and written to the Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) about it.

"We demand that the government make the report public in the monsoon session of Parliament," said Javadekar.

The man in the eye of the storm, former Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie, claimed that he was "willing to face any inquiry by any agency that the UPA government chooses".

"I will go to any office at any time that the CBI designates. If officials choose to come to our house they are most welcome. I will personally serve them excellent Madras coffee as well as excellent jasmine tea straight from Beijing," Shourie said.

"I have already stated all the facts in writing. I will cooperate with every inquiry or agencies which the government chooses. I stand by that commitment," he said.

"If the inquiry is held in private, as I have stated earlier, I will, as soon as I come out of questioning, recount for the public every question I am asked as well as every answer I give," said Shourie.

Claiming that the government was aware that there was nothing to examine in the case, he said: "They have already scrutinised every scrap of paper connected with this disinvestment as well as some others." He accused the government of "fishing for any little thing that could help tarnish the NDA government's decision".

"They have specially scrutinised disinvestment (cases) where there was a single bidder," Shourie said on the Centaur hotels case, adding that the UPA government had "justified every concept and step in a detailed note which was sent to CAG in January 2005."

He reiterated that disinvestment process undertaken by the NDA government was transparent.

"They have found that every disinvestment was completely transparent, completely in order and in conformity with procedures and norms and after having been deliberated upon by committees of officials of different ministries and was considered and approved by the Cabinet committee on disinvestment headed by the prime minister himself," he said.