COMMENTARY
INTERVIEWS
SPECIALS
CHAT
ARCHIVES

'BJP cleared projects it had opposed'

The Congress has asked the Bharatiya Janata Party to explain on what grounds it had cleared 18 pending proposals for joint ventures in the petroleum sector after opposing the very same during the last two years.

Addressing the media, Congress joint secretary Jairam Ramesh said the BJP had swallowed its own arguments by clearing these projects in record time.

Moreover, the Comptroller and Auditor General had raised several objections regarding the non-payment of compensation to the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation for the oil fields. Despite this, the government had cleared these projects and it was proper that it explain how it overcame the objections, he said.

He said the Bhadravati mining project had been held up because of security reasons as the area was adjoining a defence installation. ''I wonder how this perception could change in 24 hours?'' he asked.

He said the power ministry had agreed to give counter-guarantees to three projects -- the Hindujas project at Visakhapatnam, the SGCMS in Tamil Nadu and Bhadravati in Maharashtra. It was also planning to give counter-guarantee to the Cogentrix project in Karnataka, he said.

UNI