Thaindian News

New Delhi, May 10 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party Thursday refused to accept Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s statement contending that he or his family did not get any stake in Aircel or Maxis, and stressed that the government should come out with an explanation.

Soon after Chidambaram made his statement in the lower house of parliament, BJP spokesperson Sayed Shahnawaz Hussain said they did not believe in Chidambaram’s statement, and asked him to explain what he meant by family.

“What is his definition of family,” Hussain questioned.

He also said that the opposition expected a clarification from the government and not Chidambaram as an individual.

“We wanted Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee to make a statement, but he got angry… Chidambaram made this statement in his personal capacity and did not even stand for five minutes to face the house,” he said.

A senior party leader from the party, meanwhile, said the home minister was trapping the house in technicalities.

“Rajiv Gandhi had also said on the floor of the house that neither he nor his family got any money in Bofors deal, because the money went to (Italian businessman Ottavio) Quattrocchi,” a BJP leader said.

“On the eve of Maxis getting a clearance from FIPB (Foreign Investment Promotion Board), Kathi’s firm Advantage Consulting was transferred money from (Aircel Chief C.) Sivasankaran. Why was his son having financial dealing with him,” he questioned adding that balance sheets proved the transactions.

Chidambaram was the finance minister and chairman of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board at the time when clearance was given to Maxis.

The home minister Thursday quoted from a statement of his son Karthi in Lok Sabha declaring that neither he nor any member of his family had acquired or had any stake in Aircel or Maxis.