Shourie dares Jogi on BALCO

NEW DELHI, FEB. 25. The controversy over BALCO disinvestment gathered momentum today with the Disinvestment Minister, Mr. Arun Shourie, challenging the Chattisgarh Chief Minister, Mr. Ajit Jogi, to name a single official or non-official connected with the central Government he has accused of having received Rs. 100 crores in the deal.

Reacting sharply to Mr. Jogi's allegation that some functionaries in the Prime Minister's Office had received the money through ``underhand'' dealings, Mr. Shourie said in a statement here that the charge ``is so ludicrous as to border on the idiotic''.

Describing Mr. Jogi's statement as ``calumny'', Mr. Shourie said, ``I challenge Mr. Jogi to name a single person connected with the central government who has taken a single paisa. I pledge that should Mr. Jogi have the courage to do so, he will face the consequences in the court''.

Defending the deal under which the Government will sell 51 per cent of its stake in the BALCO to Sterlite Industries, the Minister said every bit of the work within the Government was done by the officials of the Department of Mines and Disinvestment. ``At no stage, whatsoever, was any official of the Prime Minister's Office involved in the least,'' he said. -

PTI

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