New Delhi, May 4 (ANI): The Congress Core Group will take a final call on Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal who has offered to resign following the arrest of his nephew by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a case of bribery.
The Congress Core Group is likely to meet at 5: 30 p.m. to decide on the future course of action.
Bansal met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh at the latter's official 7, Race Course Road (RCR) residence here earlier in the day and reportedly offered to resign over the bribery scandal involving his nephew.
64-year-old Bansal met the Prime Minister in wake of the CBI arresting his nephew Vijay Singla in connection with alleged bribery of Rs 90 lakh for fixing a top-level position in the government.
Bansal, however, did not speak to mediapersons after the meeting that lasted for around 20 minutes.
Congress Party today came out in out full support of the Railway Minister, and brushed aside the opposition's demands for his resignation.
Congress General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi said it has become a disease of the opposition to make such demands.
"The Railway Minister himself has given a clarification and said that there should be a thorough probe into the matter. I don't think we can expect any thing more from him," Dwivedi added.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sought Bansal's prosecution in connection with the bribery case, and demanded Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's resignation.
"We demand that not only Pawan Bansal be sacked, but he should be prosecuted by the CBI because under Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, if any public servant abuses his position to obtain pecuniary benefits for himself of any other person is liable to be prosecuted and convicted," said BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad.
" And the way the Railway Board promotion is the object of corruption in this case, pecuniary advantage by someone close to the Railway Minister, seeking that pecuniary advantage, abusing the authority of the Railway Minister is a copybook case of prosecution of Bansal. Therefore, in addition to demanding he be sacked, the BJP would like that the CBI must prosecute him," he added.
Prasad alleged that morality is no more a factor relevant in the UPA II Government of Dr. Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi.
"I cannot invoke their morality quotient. But yet as the principal opposition articulating the concern of the common people, the BJP is duty bound reiterate that Dr. Manmohan Singh each passing day reinforces our demand that you please resign as the Prime Minister of India because you do not have any moral right left to govern because India is getting established as the most corrupt regime in the world under your dispensation," he said.
Bansal, however, earlier in the day distanced himself from his nephew arrested by CBI in a case of bribery for allegedly fixing a top level position in Railway Board, saying that he had no business links with him and denied any wrongdoing.
Bansal, who was made Railway Minister in October last year, also sought an expeditious CBI inquiry into the issue.
"I have always observed highest standard of probity in public life and look forward to an expeditious investigation by CBI in the matter," he said in a statement.
The CBI has arrested four persons, including the Railway Minister's nephew, V. Singla, for allegedly taking bribe to fix a top-level position in the government.
Singla was arrested in Chandigarh yesterday for accepting Rs. 90 lakh in cash from Manjunath, the conduit of Railway Board member Mahesh Kumar. Kumar was arrested in Mumbai soon after he arrived in the metropolis from Delhi. The other two persons arrested by the CBI are Sandip Goyal, who allegedly assisted in brokering the deal and Manjunath.
The CBI has registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the IPC against them. The CBI also carried out searches in Delhi, Chandigarh and other cities in this connection.
The arrested persons are likely to be brought to Delhi from Chandigarh later in the day. Singla and Goyal will be produced in the Patiala House Court tomorrow. (ANI)
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