New Delhi: A day after the stunning 2G blow in the Supreme Court, there was more trouble for the UPA government on Friday as an India-born Canadian claimed that he paid Union Minister Praful Patel a 250-thousand dollar bribe in 2007.
According to the Canadian, he paid the bribe to help Canadian firm Crypto Metric bag a 100-million dollar deal with Air India for a facial-recognition security system. However, the deal never really came through.
Reacting to the allegations, Praful Patel, who was Civil Aviation Minister at the time, has officially written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking his intervention and claiming his innocence.
“I have categorically and in no uncertain terms denied these allegations as being baseless and preposterous. I earnestly request you that the factual position be conveyed to the authorities in Canada in order to avoid any embarrassment to the Government of India or me personally,” said Patel in the letter.
Meanwhile, the current Civil Aviation Minister, Ajit Singh, has said that Air India will not initiate a probe merely on the basis of a media report.
He said, “Praful Patel has denied this and has also spoken to PM. Praful Patel is ready for any investigation. Air India will not investigate by its own. There should be some reason for investigation. Just publishing any news in newspaper can’t be a reason for investigation.”
NCP chief Sharad Pawar also gave a clean chit to Patel, dismissing the allegation.
He said in Mumbai that the question of Praful having received a bribe does not arise.
Even ally Congress was cautious in its response on the issue.
"We should be balanced while going through these allegations. Unless there are facts, it is wrong to allege about minister. The minister has already written to the PM on inquiry. If some facts come up, then action will be taken accordingly," said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
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