JBIC project: Antony denies allegations

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, OCT. 16. The Chief Minister, Mr. A. K. Antony, on Tuesday denied Opposition allegation that there was corruption behind the Government decision to award the consultancy contract for the JBIC-aided Kerala Water Supply project to the Japanese company, Pacific Consultants International.

# The Chief Minister was replying to the debate on the demands for grants for Heads of States, Ministers and Headquarters Staff and Elections in the Assembly.

# "My hands are clean. You would not be able to trap me in this," the Chief Minister told the Opposition which maintained that the new Government's decision to reverse the previous Government's decision to go in for fresh global tenders betrayed corruption.

# Mr. Antony refuted the allegation that he had rushed the decision bypassing the Irrigation Department, and that the AICC had taken bribes from the Japan company to get the contract cleared by the Kerala Government.

He said that he had promised the voters of his constituency that the project would be implemented if the UDF came to power. Accordingly, he had put up the matter for the consideration of the Cabinet. The Cabinet notes were prepared by the Irrigation Department.

Subsequently, the representatives of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) had met him, the Irrigation Minister and officials on July 12. They said that they could not agree with the Government decision to call for fresh global tenders.

The Government maintained that though the proposal for fresh tenders could be dropped, a CBI enquiry would have to be conducted into the allegations if ordered by the High Court. The Bank subsequently conveyed its agreement to this.

No representative of the Pacific Consultants had met him.

He recalled that the LDF Cabinet had decided on fresh global tenders on the ground that the Opposition was making allegations about the contract. The CBI inquiry was also about the alleged irregularities during the LDF period.

As the then Leader of the Opposition, he had three times invited the attention of the Government to the need for the project through submissions. He had even advised his colleagues, Mr. M. A. Kuttappan and Prof. A. V. Thamarakshan, that they should not subvert the project itself through their allegations.

He recalled that the agreement with the Japan Bank was signed when the Nayanar Government was in power. The inclusion of the Japanese companies in the short list for the consultancy contract had happened with the knowledge of the Government and also the then LDF convener, Mr. V. S. Achuthanandan.

When Prof. Thamarakshan went to court, the Government had defended its actions.

Referring to the Opposition allegation that the AICC had paid a long-pending bill for use of defence aircraft in 1995 by Mr. Antony using the bribes, the Chief Minister said that he would telling the CPI(M) general secretary, Mr. Harkishen Singh Surjeet, and the Congress leaders about the manner in which his party was raising allegations against the AICC in the State when the two parties were cooperating on several fronts at the Centre.

"Let Mr. Surjeet ask Ms. Sonia Gandhi how the AICC paid my bill."

Mr. Antony said that the allegations raised by the Opposition against the Education Minister, Mr. Nalakath Soopy, were something that had been repeatedly denied by Mr. Soopy.

Referring to the allegation that the UDF convener, Mr. Oommen Chandy, was intervening in Government decisions, Mr. Antony recalled that during the LDF rule, even files used to be taken to the party office for discussions.

He said that the Government decision to sanction professional colleges freely would help students to study within the State instead of seeking admissions to colleges in other States.

The clearance for colleges was given in a transparent manner so that the Opposition could not raise even a single allegation. He said that the CPI(M) leaders should shed their hippocratic attitudes towards private colleges.

They opposed private colleges but sent their children to such colleges.

# He said that the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. V. S. Achuthanandan, was actually gone to the extent of asking for a judicial inquiry against his party secretary, Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan, and the former Chief Minister, Mr. E. K. Nayanar, while raising various allegations.

He did not say a word about the agitation by the tribals because the tribals would not have gone for the agitations if the previous Government had kept its promises to distribute land to 72,000 tribal families.

He said that the State Government had strong protest about the denial of flood assistance by the Central Government. The Centre had changed its guidelines after a Central team visited the State to assess damage from monsoon-related calamities. It had neglected the needs of the State.

He said that the Government would ask the Election Commission to inquire into the dropping of thousands of voters from the voters list during the last elections.

After the Chief Minister's reply, the House passed the demands for Heads of States, Ministers and Headquarters Staff totalling Rs. 31.42 crores for 85 votes against 35.

The House also passed the demand for Elections totalling Rs. 7.18 crores.

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