Bishnoi demands CBI probe in Reliance deal

Jagadhri, Oct 15 (UNI) Launching a scathing attack on the Hooda government, Congress MP Kuldip Bishnoi today demanded a CBI probe into the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) project to be set in a joint venture between Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and Haryana State Industries Development Corporation (HSIDC).

'' I will quit politics if my allegations that the SEZ project is a major scam involving people in high places are prooved wrong'', he said while addressing mediapersons after attending the fourth 'Tea Party' of his supporters.

Former Chief Minister and Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) chief Bhajan Lal, father of Mr Bishnoi, was also present on the occasion. Mr Bhajan Lal maintained a silence during the media briefing and refused to answer any querries.

Maintaining that he was not opposed to the RIL project, Mr Bishnoi said that he favoured certain amendments in the MoU signed between the RIL and the HSIDC. ''I favour that the maximum area limit of the SEZ should be announced'', he said while pointing out that the government had only notified the minimum area on which the SEZ would be set up.

Claiming that the SEZ involved a scam to the tune of Rs 6000 crores, he challenged the government to reveal the actual facts.

''The government is hiding facts and even when I sought the details under the Right to Information (RIT) Act, I was not provided the details'', he claimed.

Replying to a question, Mr Bishnoi dismissed reports that he was contemplating quitting the Congress and joining some other party. ''I will not quit a party which Mr Bhajan Lal has served for so long'', he said while claiming that his father was the most popular Congress leader in Haryana. On the functioning of the Hooda government, Mr Bishnoi said that during the three 'Tea Parties' that he had held in different parts of the state he had come across a large number of disgruntled people including Congressmen who complained about the functioning of the state government. He made it clear that the 'Tea Parties' being organised by him in differnt parts of the state were not aimed at whipping up anti-government sentiments, but to get a feel of the pulse of the people.

Claiming that the law and order situation in the state had deteriorated in the last couple of months, Mr Bishnoi said that he often felt ashamed when MPs from other states told him that the criminals from their states had taken shelter in Haryana. The power situation in the state had become very serious and in the present scenario no new industry would come to Haryana, he added.

Mr Bishnoi also called for solving the Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue with Punjab, so that Haryana gest its due share of waters. ''The issue can be solved now as we have a Congress led government at the Centre and Congress governments in Punjab and Haryana'', he pointed out.

UNI