The Congress today accused the Enforcement Directorate of "deliberate omission" in not questioning former Union minister V K Singh after the agency attached his former close aide's assets of over Rs 21 crore.
"Our question is very clear that how is it that the ED which is jumping the gun on every small and every big issue has not thought it fit to even question the former Army chief and now a minister in the government?
"No exchange, no information, no questioning, no attempt to investigate. This is an act of extreme curiosity, seriousness and an obvious deliberate omission," AICC spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said.
Addressing a press conference, he said, "We are asking this in the national interest, a very curious situation."
The Congress leader said the ED's notice is seeking attachment of over Rs 21 crore of SP Singh, a close aide of VK Singh, who is accused of misappropriation of funds from his loan accounts in contravention of rules.
"I don't think anybody's aide has the stature, the power, the position, the pelf, the impact to have such large sums of money on his own which the ED in a written notice is seeking attachment of," he said.
Singhvi said it is the ED's notice which points out that 13 shell companies were owned or managed by him, his family members and funds received in loan accounts of these companies "were diverted in contravention of loan terms agreed with the bank and used by Singh for his own benefit".
He said the most significant and important pointer is to the sector and subject that gave rise to fund diversion and ED attachment.
The ED investigation revealed that loan funds were taken on the basis of forged documents of supply orders to para- military forces and armed forces which were misappropriated and diverted by Singh for his personal use instead of utilising it for his business activities, he said, adding that SP Singh is now accused of this.
Singhvi also raised the issue of Chattisgarh where the CAG has pointed out over Rs 1,000 crore of "unfruitful expenditure" on incomplete anicuts (small dams) in the state.
"There has been wasteful expenditure of Rs 1,095 crore. Many anicuts are largely incomplete. These anicuts are important in dry states.
"Irrigation itself is only 30 per cent. None of the many issues were anticipated or solved before this money was spent," Singhvi said.
The Congress leader while citing the CAG report said 79 per cent of cultivable land was not irrigated due to lack of electric connections, even when Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Dharmendra Pradhan claim 100 per cent electrification.
"Either CAG is lying or the two ministers jointly are incorrectly making statement or both are at complete variance...This is the problem of fact and fiction. Fiction is something this government is excellent in; facts are when they come to a screeching halt and stand exposed," he said.
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"You think this minister's secretary has his own
influence? Do you think defence contract is given to this secretary because of his own influence," he questioned.
Asked why the issue has not been put before court, he said ultimately the court may ask that question but the court comes second.
"First question is that you are ED, are you scared because of a minister, are you selective, are you opportunistic, are you partial, are you biased, are you imbalanced? That is the question I'm asking," he asked.
Asked about Punjab seeking to do away with everything reminiscent of the British Raj, the Congress leader said he does not think the government is doing anything or proposing anything remotely resembling the systematic organised rewriting of history.
"Systematic organised rewriting of history is going on by this government at several departments especially the HRD where there are department inaccuracies, there are established systems which every state can and always resort to," he alleged.
He accused the central government of making "concerted predetermined effort" through agencies to "re-think history, rename history and selectively rewrite history, besides distorting history, stating false facts and this is done by starting at appointments at lower levels.
