Aviation scam: 'BJP must apologize to Manmohan Singh' Sanjay Raut
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday called for an apology from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The demand follows the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) conclusion of its probe into the merger case involving Air India and Indian Airlines. Raut said the BJP had made a hue and cry over alleged corruption in the civil aviation sector during Manmohan Singh's tenure. "They must apologize to Dr Singh," he asserted.
Raut's demand rooted in BJP's previous allegations
The BJP had initially suggested that the decision to lease the aircraft during an acquisition program was dishonest, leading to financial gains for private firms and losses for the government. A subsequent investigation by the CBI had implicated Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Praful Patel, who served as Union civil aviation minister during the United Progressive Alliance era when the aircraft leasing occurred. But on March 19, the agency submitted its closure report, acquitting Patel from the case.
Raut dismisses rumors of MVA internal strife
Furthermore, Raut dismissed rumors of internal discord among Maharashtra's Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He asserted that there were no disagreements over seat allocation within the opposition coalition, which includes the Congress, the Shiv Sena, and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Raut also announced a press conference featuring the MVA leaders scheduled for April 3 at Shivalaya, Shiv Sena's headquarters.
'No evidence of wrongdoing' by Patel: CBI
The CBI closed the corruption investigation against Patel, just months after he joined the BJP. In its closure report, the probe agency reportedly said that there was no "evidence of any wrongdoing" by Patel. It is pertinent to note that the 2017 case pertained to alleged irregularities in the leasing of aircraft by the National Aviation Corporation of India Ltd. (NACIL)-formed after the merger of Air India and Indian Airlines.
What do we know about the aviation scam
A PIL accused public servants under the UPA government of leasing 15 expensive aircraft without having pilots ready for them. A First Information Report (FIR) stated that "Air India, to benefit private parties, dry leased four Boeing 777s for five years in 2006, whereas it was to get the delivery of its own aircraft from July 2007 onwards." This resulted in several Boeing aircraft being kept idle at an estimated loss of Rs, 840 crores between 2007-09.