SP asks Chidambaram to recover Rs 2500 cr excise from Sterlite

New Delhi, Dec 19 (UNI) Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh today asked Finance Minister P Chidambaram about the steps taken by the government to vacate the court stay against Rs 2500 crore excise evasion case against Vedanta/Sterlite Company in which he was a director before becoming minister.

Mr Singh said that the Samajwadi Party along with Telugu Desam Party and AIADMK had even raised the matter in Parliament through a written question seeking to know whether Mr Chidambaram acted as a lawyer for Mr Anil Agarwal's company Sterlite which is registered abroad as Vedanta before he took oath as the minister in the UPA government and was also its Director. He said the answer to both these questions were received as positive.

The Samajwadi Party leader wanted to know what steps Mr Chidambaram had taken to vacate the court stay that the Sterlite had got in the Rs 2500 central excise evasion case and recover the amount from the company.

''Mr Chidamabaram serves notices, orders raid and recovers the amount in case of individuals like me and you. Why is he not taking any such steps to recover the huge amount of Rs 2500 crore from Sterlite, of which he had been a director?'' Mr Singh wondered.

It is significant that the Samajwadi Party got miffed up when the Income Tax department served notice to Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan when he was hospitalised.

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