New Delhi: Congress Lok Sabha MPs Manickam Tagore and Manish Tewari on Monday gave separate adjournment motion notices on a purported viral video showing a BJP MLA and former Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar’s son discussing the transfer of bribe money from a mining businessman, and to have a discussion regarding the retired-Indian Navy personnel imprisoned in Qatar.
In his notice in the Lok Sabha, Tagore said, “Sir, I hereby give notice of my intention to ask for leave to move a motion for the adjournment of the business of the House for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent importance, namely — it is important to discuss about the matter of utmost urgency and significance that pertains to the alleged involvement of a Union Minister’s son in a scandalous affair.”
He said, “Recently, a video has surfaced, revealing a conversation between the Union Minister’s son discussing the opening of bank accounts to facilitate the transfer of crores of rupees obtained through bribery from a mining businessman. The purported clip shows the minister’s son engaged in a video call, strategizing the movement of funds amounting to Rs 100 crore. Furthermore, there is a recorded conversation wherein a man informs someone named Tomar that “his Rs 18 crore” has been deposited across four different bank accounts,” Tagore said.
“The gravity of such accusations raises serious questions about the legitimacy of the current government. In light of these allegations, I believe it is imperative for the esteemed House to initiate a discussion and make a resolution for a thorough and impartial investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at the earliest,” he said.
He said that public trust in the government is paramount, and an investigation into these allegations is crucial to maintaining the integrity of our democratic institutions.
“The citizens of our nation deserve transparency and accountability from their elected representatives, and it is the duty of the government to address these allegations and provide a clear and unequivocal response to the people. Failure to do so would only further erode public trust in our democratic processes,” he said.
“Therefore, I urge the House to convene a discussion on this matter keeping aside other routine businesses and to direct the government to initiate a prompt and transparent inquiry. The Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation must be tasked with conducting a comprehensive investigation to ascertain the veracity of the claims and to ensure accountability,” Tagore added.
The other adjournment notice was given by Manish Tewari to have a discussion regarding the retired-Indian Navy personnel imprisoned in Qatar.
“I hereby give notice of my intention to ask for leave to move a motion for the adjournment of the business of the House for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent importance, namely — That this House do suspend Zero Hour, Question Hour, and other Businesses of the Day to have a discussion regarding the retired-Indian Navy personnel imprisoned in Qatar. Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, and Sailor Ragesh, were sentenced by the Qatari court on October 26, 2023.”
He said that he has been constantly raising this matter since August 2022 both inside and outside the House but there has been no response from the government for 14 months.
“In the meantime the eight Naval Personnel (Retd) have ostensibly been brutally tortured, self incriminating confessions extracted and sentenced to death in a Kangaroo Trail in a couple of perfunctory hearings. The Government has not even called in the Qatari Ambassador to protest the matter strongly. There is no visible protest by the Indian Government,” he said.
“Despite the purported acceptance of their appeal, crucial details such as charges, court rationale, and the judgment of the copy of the Court of First Instance remain undisclosed. I therefore urge the government to inform the House of the situation about our Navy personnel in Qatar and the steps taken to bring them back to India. I hereby request permission to raise this matter,” Tewari added.
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