New Delhi: The BJP on Saturday decided to take the Government to task for "hiding" information of detention of Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi in Argentina.
BJP spokesman V K Malhotra said the party would raise the issue on the floor of the House on Monday. He added that the Government will have to explain as to why was it was silent for 17 days since the arrest of Quattrocchi.
"We want to ask the Prime Minister, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and CBI director when exactly they got the information," PTI quoted Malhotra as saying.
The decision was at a meeting of senior party leaders, including L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Jaswant Singh, held at the residence of NDA chairperson Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Even though Quattrocchi, prime accused in the 64-crore Bofors payoffs case, was arrested by the Interpol in Argentina on February 6, it was only on Friday that the news of his detention came to light.
He was arrested by the Interpol on the basis of an Interpol Red Corner Notice that has been out against him for the last 11 years.
Malhotra said out 30 days time required to submit extradition request, 17 precious days were lost while the Government waited for state Assembly elections to be over.
"We will also draw attention to the Right To Information (RTI) Act which has been enacted. Hiding information about criminal itself is a criminal act," PTI quoted Malhotra as saying.
Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley alleged the concealment was "intended to save the
Congress from embarrassment during the state Assembly elections."
The BJP also alleged that the Congress had helped Quattrocchi in escaping from the country during the Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao's regime.
"His escape was organised to put a lid on the question as to whether the payoffs were meant only for him or whether they were held for the benefit of his political patrons," PTI quoted Jaitley as saying.
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