'PM Modi should apologise to Manmohan Singh': Jairam Ramesh after CBI closes Air India scam case
Mar 30, 2024
New Delhi [India], March 30 : A day after the CBI filed closure report in Air India scam case, Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should apologise to former PM Manmohan Singh and to the country.
The Congress leader alleged that the CBI closed the case because Nationalist Congress Party (NCP - Ajit Pawar faction) leader Praful Patel joined hands with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
"In 2014, during the Air India scam, PM Modi was going everywhere with the CAG report. Yesterday, the CBI closed that case because the then minister (Praful Patel) joined the BJP and went into BJP's washing machine. PM Modi should apologise to Manmohan Singh, he should apologise to the country," Jairam Ramesh said.
"Based on the then-CAG report, you had brought out the charge sheet against Manmohan Singh. They made a list of all the scams by Manmohan Singh that were fake. They were political reports, not CAG reports. Yesterday, it was proved after the CBI closed the case against Praful Patel," he added.
He also said that Congress is giving its 100 per cent in the fight against the BJP.
"Our aim is very straight-forward, we are fighting against the BJP's intentions, policies and ideology. Congress is giving it 100 per cent. We have made so many compromises to strengthen the alliance in Bihar, Tamil Nadu and other states, but we didn't succeed in West Bengal due to some special reasons. TMC will attend tomorrow's rally, which means they are in the INDIA bloc. we have made the compromise by keeping in mind the realities of 2024," he said.
Earlier this week, the CBI filed a closure report before a special CBI court in Delhi in the alleged Air India scam case, registered in 2017 following a Supreme Court directive.
The case pertained to the allegations of irregularities in leasing aircraft for Air India. Several officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and of Air India were put under scanner in the matter.
It was alleged that the then Aviation Minister Praful Patel, under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, abused his position to lease a large number of aircraft for Air India, which was a public carrier at the time.
