BJP alleges corruption behind continued pulses

New Delhi, Mar 22 (UNI) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today alleged ''gross corruption'' behind the continued export of pulses and wheat in violation of the government's measures to check prices and asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ''reveal why these exemptions were granted and who allowed them.'' BJP Spokesman and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the government had promised to ban export of pulses and wheat to contain prices but the ''exemptions granted worth Rs 600-Rs 700 crore had made a mockery of misery of the common man.'' Releasing a ''detailed letter and the official orders to back'' his allegation, the BJP Spokesman pointed out that the gazette notification dated June 27, 2006 said the ban on exports was to be in place for another six months but ''consignments were already effected against advance licences issued prior to this notification.'' However, the notification issued on July 4, 2006 had ''removed the conditions for irrevocable letters of credit opened on or after June 22, 2006 as the decision was announced on that day.'' ''The pulses exports continued unabated'' notwithstanding the export ban while no such latitude was shown for export of other commodities mentioned in February 9, 2007 notification published by Commerce Ministry, he said.

Mr Prasad told the Prime Minister that he had information that ''many letters of credit against unlimited quantity and period were opened by some exporters in Channel Islands around June 21 itself and illegal exports had been facilitated under the cover of those manipulated documents inspite of ban order. '' He said obviously there ''was scope for manipulation of LOC'' which had been done under the ''patronage of high ups'' in the department.

Any inquiry by Director General of Trade would be ''of no use because the root of corruption was all pervasive in this case with the patronage of the high ups,'' he said.

UNI