‘The PM Knows! But Even Ram Asked Sita For Agnipareeksha’

[Guest guest]

EMBATTLED NAIK HAS NOVEL EXPLANATION WHY PM CANCELLED DEALERSHIPS

 

`The PM Knows! But Even Ram Asked Sita For Agnipareeksha'

 

Anupama Airy & Rohit Bansal

 

New Delhi, Aug 8: `Not-in-my-backyard' seems to be petroleum

minister Ram Naik's topmost agenda at this hour. Not surprisingly,

he spares no effort to try and distance himself—and his office—that

pressure was ever exerted on dealership selection boards (DSBs) to

doctor the process and select kith and kin of BJP and RSS

functionaries for allotment of petrol, LPG and kerosene

outlets . "Not even once!" he exclaims, and then pauses for effect.

It doesn't matter that this would technically amount to exoneration

for dozens of Opposition leaders ranging from Manmohan Singh to

Jyotiraditya Scindia who had sent him written

recommendations. "True, I didn't once take cognisance of these

letters," Mr Naik says, as he shuffles through a sheaf of such

letters. "But their letters were suggestive, they wanted me to use

my position and they (now) have no moral right to say anything."

But if he were so innocent, why did an embarrassed Prime Minister

cancel all allotments from January 2000 onwards without bothering

about legalities and technical commitments on part of national oil

companies? To this Mr Naik offers: "The PM knows I have no guilt. He

has responded to a controversy. He is a statesman. As part of fair

play, he has decided to cancel all allotments. That doesn't mean

admission of any guilt or wrong-doing! In Mahabharata... (pauses) I

mean Ramayana, why did Ram ask (innocent) Sita to go for

agnipareeksha (trial by fire)!"

 

Despite the blockade of Parliament and rumblings from within BJP

cadres, Mr Naik claims he is "not in any fix" whether moral, legal

or political for having landed the PM and the government in this

huge controversy. "Personally, I am not involved in any wrong-

doing," he argues. "After appointing the DSBs, the subsequent

operational part was up to them. If they faced political pressure

that had nothing to do with me," he says, refusing comment on

specific comments to the contrary given to The Indian Express

reporters by some DSB chairmen.

 

And what about the legal mess? Mr Naik is clear that "no legal

infirmities will be allowed" to creep into the new `specific

directive' he will shortly issue to the three national oil

companies. For example, there is a July 30 order of the Aurangabad

bench of the Mumbai high court where the court has upheld the

appointment of the brother of Shiv Sena MP Chandrakant Khaire. Here

the court has rejected an inference to use of influence and "a bald

statement made in the petition".

 

Importantly, Mr Naik's forthcoming directive will change the cut-off

date (of January 2000) that has been in circulation so far. This

will stand amended to "decisions made by the new set of DSBs". The

minister had constituted these boards in mid-2000 and they received

their guidelines on October 9, 2000. "Therefore, the distributors

who will face cancellations would be the ones who were selected

after October 2000," Mr Naik says. As for various distributorships

that are already hanging fire in the courts and where the ministry

has assured under affidavit that there was no wrong-doing, Mr Naik

says that "we'll obviously take care of that aspect and that will be

reconciled." Here he includes 13 cases where petitions challenging

the particular DSB's decision has been dismissed by the courts. (In

three other cases the DSB's decision was over-ruled and in two the

petition was withdrawn).

 

And what of those who have sunk capital into their allotted

dealerships already? Is some wheat being crushed with the

chaff? "Yeh to hota hi hai! But those who have invested will be

compensated. I won't like to leave them high and dry," Mr Naik

assures. He won't, however, let go the oil companies to decide their

own dealers. Reservations, objectives of self-employment and

economic criteria on maximum income will continue to feature in the

new guidelines for auctioning that he and the law ministry want to

draw up. "Big money will not be allowed to enter. Social and

economic criteria are very important. So, as long as they (the

companies) are owned by the government their functioning has to

capture the overall concerns of the government," Mr Naik argues.

 

Reacting to Mr Naik's comments to FE and his decision to release

recommendation letters written by top Congress leaders, party MP

Ashvini Kumar said "what's wrong in recommending, what else is an

MPs job! The issue is something totally different and so far as the

public is concerned, the government stands guilty."