06-08-2009, 11:07 AM
<b>BJP smells a scam âlinkâ</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->New Delhi, June 6: The BJP today asked Manmohan Singh to clarify alleged links between defence scam accused Ramesh Nambiar and an official in the Prime Ministerâs Office.
BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad did not identify the PMO official by name but described him as âa very, very senior civil servantâ.
<b>He claimed that Nambiar was close to this official and enjoyed free access to the PMO.</b>
Later, BJP sources added that the PMO official had received an extension after the election results.
Nambiar, an additional general manager with Air India, is an accused in the Rs <b>6,000-crore artillery purchase scam unearthed </b>by the CBI, in connection with which former Ordnance Factory Board chief <b>Sudipta Ghosh was arrested in Calcutta last month</b>.
Nambiar was a frequent visitor to the PMO, Prasad said, adding that the BJP had found out that the records of his visits were being erased. Prasad said the Prime Minister should explain Nambiarâs links with and access to the PMO.
Nambiar used to be private secretary to Suresh Kalmadi in the P.V. Narasimha Rao ministry. He was sacked from the Commonwealth Games management panel after the CBI raided his Mumbai flat and confiscated Rs 23 lakh in connection with the defence scam probe.
Nambiar is charged with helping Ghosh, who retired in April, open a bank account in Singapore to stash money received as kickbacks in defence deals.
Prasad, who demanded a time-bound and thorough probe, said Nambiar was not senior enough in Air India to even get an appointment with the civil aviation secretary, and <b>so it was surprising that he enjoyed free access to the PMO.</b>
<b>The BJP leader said entry into the PMO is governed by a protocol so strict that even MPs have to seek an appointment. An entry is made even when ministers arrive for cabinet meetings.</b>
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PM must be getting his share.
BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad did not identify the PMO official by name but described him as âa very, very senior civil servantâ.
<b>He claimed that Nambiar was close to this official and enjoyed free access to the PMO.</b>
Later, BJP sources added that the PMO official had received an extension after the election results.
Nambiar, an additional general manager with Air India, is an accused in the Rs <b>6,000-crore artillery purchase scam unearthed </b>by the CBI, in connection with which former Ordnance Factory Board chief <b>Sudipta Ghosh was arrested in Calcutta last month</b>.
Nambiar was a frequent visitor to the PMO, Prasad said, adding that the BJP had found out that the records of his visits were being erased. Prasad said the Prime Minister should explain Nambiarâs links with and access to the PMO.
Nambiar used to be private secretary to Suresh Kalmadi in the P.V. Narasimha Rao ministry. He was sacked from the Commonwealth Games management panel after the CBI raided his Mumbai flat and confiscated Rs 23 lakh in connection with the defence scam probe.
Nambiar is charged with helping Ghosh, who retired in April, open a bank account in Singapore to stash money received as kickbacks in defence deals.
Prasad, who demanded a time-bound and thorough probe, said Nambiar was not senior enough in Air India to even get an appointment with the civil aviation secretary, and <b>so it was surprising that he enjoyed free access to the PMO.</b>
<b>The BJP leader said entry into the PMO is governed by a protocol so strict that even MPs have to seek an appointment. An entry is made even when ministers arrive for cabinet meetings.</b>
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PM must be getting his share.