AGENCIES / NEW DELHI
Alleging that Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has links with Shirdi industries, a private company which had defrauded the banks, the Congress on Wednesday demanded his “immediate sacking” and a probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge into the issue.
Talking to reporters here, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily and AICC spokesperson Pawan Khera said, ‘Union Cabinet Minister Piyush Goyal, was chairman and‘whole time director’ of Shirdi Industries Ltd. from April 25, 2008 to July 1, 2010. During this time, Shirdi Industries Ltd worked out a loan of Rs 258.62 crore from a consortium of banks, headed by Union Bank of India.
“However, on June 8, 2015, Shirdi Industries Ltd was declared ‘sick’ for being unable to repay loans.’
Mr Azad said it was a surprise that despite the fact that Shirdi Industries Ltd. (of Rakesh Agarwal and Mukesh Bansal) had been declared ‘sick’ for being unable to repay loans, their sister company, Asis Industries proceeded to grant an unsecured loan of Rs 1.59 crore in 2015-16 to Intercon Advisors Pvt Ltd, a company owned by Seema Goyal, wife of Mr Piyush Goyal.
Mr Goyal was also director of this company from 15.09.2005 to 22.07.2013.
The Congress leaders said that Shirdi Industries Ltd went to the National Consortium of Banks Limited (NCLT) and told them that they had an outstanding loan amount of Rs 651.87 crore. ‘Shockingly, the consortium of banks agreed to take a haircut (waive off) 65 per cent of loan amount and settled for Rs 228.85 crore (Rs 173.85 crore to be paid between December 2017-March 2022 and Rs 55 crore to be paid between June, 2022 –March 2024).
Surprisingly, no one raised an objection that promoter of Shirdi Industries Ltd could not have bid in view of prohibition contained in Section 29A of the Insolvency Code.
Alleging that a loot of public money by Shirdi Industries had happened at the behest of Mr Goyal, Mr Azad demanded a probe into the matter by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court.
‘The web of corporate entities that ties Mr Piyush Goyal and his family to Rakesh Agarwal/Mukesh Bansal, is thus, glaringly apparent and serious and scandalous facts warrant a thorough independent judicial investigation by a sitting Supreme Court judge. It has made the position of Union Minister Piyush Goyal untenable to serve as Union Cabinet Minister. Mr Piyush Goyal must be sacked forthwith,’ the Congress leaders said.