The Hindu : National : BJP rebuts Congress charge

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Tuesday, Apr 06, 2004

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National

BJP rebuts Congress charge

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, APRIL 5. The Bharatiya Janata Party today rebutted the Congress' charge of wrongdoing in the AK-47 deal in which the Union Home Ministry has purchased 64,000 rifles in the last one year.

Briefing the press, the former chief whip in Parliament, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, said that global tenders were floated twice. The first time was in May 2002 when only one (valid) tender was received.

A second global tender was issued in September 2002 and now two companies bid — Kintex of Bulgaria and Romtehnica of Romania.

A third company, Rosoboronexport of Russia, offered AK-103 rifles that were not wanted.

The BJP said there was nothing wrong in the deal. The Bulgarian product won handsomely during field trials and the Government then negotiated the price and brought it down; and, finally the order was placed for 64,000 AK-47 rifles costing Rs. 53 crores.

Mr. Malhotra alleged that the Congress had a ``vested interest'' in the issue as ``one of the All- India Congress Committee general secretary's son was married to the daughter of the agent of the Russian company.''

The initial price quoted by the Bulgarian firm — a 100 per cent Bulgarian Government-owned company — was $184 for a fixed butt rifle and $193 a piece for folding-butt rifles.

The Government re-negotiated the price to bring it down by about $30 a piece — $155 for the fixed butt rifle and $163 for the folding ones.

Sonia's `capability'

Later, Mr. Malhotra said the BJP had not only raised the issue of ``foreign origin'' of the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, but would like to question her ``capability.''

He said that in Parliament ``only the maiden speech is allowed to be read, but Ms. Gandhi had been reading her speeches for four-and a-half years. How can anyone who cannot speak ex-tempore be considered capable for the Prime Minister's position?''

Earlier, the BJP president, Venkaiah Naidu, gave party membership to a former ``raja'' of Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, Pushpraj Singh, a Minister in the State Government till last year.

Some office-bearers of the Bahujan Samaj Party in Punjab as well as Neelam Mukherjee, wife of actor Joy Mukherjee, and Javed Yakub Khan, an actor in films and television serials, were also given the party membership.

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